BP to Begin Testing New Oil Well Containment Cap
July 13, 2010 by Megan Hahn
Filed under Pollution News
National Incident Commander Ret. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen briefs reporters
Oil company BP is set to begin pressure testing the new containment cap on its damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico to determine if it can effectively contain the massive leak.
National Incident Commander Thad Allen told reporters Tuesday that later Tuesday, BP technicians will cease oil collection activities and begin closing valves on the containment cap.
Allen says pressure readings will be taken as the valves are closed and choke lines leading to containment vessels are shut off. He says if the cap can maintain high pressure readings over an extended period – six to 48 hours - it could fully contain the leaking oil.
If pressure readings are too low, Allen says collection efforts would resume. He says the new cap, once fully operational, could allow for the collection of up to 80,000 barrels of oil per day.
Allen says the pressure tests will also allow technicians to get the best estimate of the amount of oil leaking from the well. Previous government estimates have had as much as 60,000 barrels a day flowing from the well.
He said low pressure readings could also indicate oil is leaking elsewhere.
After a three-day operation, the new cap was installed Monday on the damaged wellhead about 1.6 kilometers below the Gulf’s surface.
Even if the cap works as hoped, it is only meant to be a temporary fix. BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles says the company will continue to drill two relief wells that will allow the ruptured well to be permanently plugged with mud and cement.
Allen says the first relief well is very close to completion, but careful measurements are needed and other crucial procedures are expected to take as long as another month.
The oil leak began after the April 20 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, which killed 11 crewmen. The disaster has fouled vast expanses of the U.S. Gulf coast, killed birds and sea life and devastated the region’s fishing, tourism and other industries.
BP officials said Monday the leak has already cost the company some $3.5 billion.
Source: VOA
