Gulf oil well test back on as BP fixes leaking
Friday, 16 July 2010
LONDON, July 15(BBC): BP has fixed a leak on the cap on the leaking Gulf of Mexico oil well, which delayed a crucial test.
The oil giant needs to shut all the valves on the new cap in order to test the well's integrity.
If the test - originally planned for Tuesday - is successful the flow of oil will be halted until relief wells can do a permanent "kill".
The latest setback to the test was a leak on a line on the choke valve of the new cap.
The test was already delayed while additional safety monitoring measures were put in place.
BP took another choke valve to the sea floor and attached it to the cap. Preparations are again under way for the test.
With the delay to the test, BP resumed capturing oil from lines on the blowout preventer and taking it to the Q4000 and Helix Producer vessels. This had earlier been suspended as it cannot be done during testing.
During the test, the three valves on the new cap will be shut. At the moment, just two - the large valve on top and the choke - are closed. Oil, mixed with dispersant, is billowing out of the kill valve.
Once the test is under way, and the flow of oil stopped, the pressure within the cap will be tested. If it remains high, it is safe to keep the flow of oil halted.
If the pressure drops, the well must be reopened immediately, as it could be an indication that there are other leaks beneath the surface.
The test was delayed by fears from the authorities about the test making things worse by causing a rupture inside the well.
It is going ahead after BP and government experts agreed on increased monitoring and a review of progress every six hours.
"I was gung-ho for this test and I remain gung-ho for this test," said Adm Thad Allen, the US incident commander, on Wednesday.
But he warned that nobody wanted to make an "irreversible mistake".
If the pressure testing fails, the well will be left open and oil capture to vessels on the surface will be resumed.
Meanwhile, BP continues to face political pressure in the US.
A Congressional committee has agreed measures that would ban the firm from new offshore drilling for seven years.
And in a separate move, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said she will look into a request by four senators to investigate allegations that BP lobbied for the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi while attempting to finalise an oil deal with Libya.
The 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 killed 270 people - most of them were American.
Megrahi, who has terminal prostate cancer, was freed by Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill on compassionate grounds in August 2009 after serving eight years.
In a statement on Thursday, BP admitted it had expressed concern to the UK government about the slow progress of a prisoner transfer agreement between the two countries.
But the firm said it had taken no part in discussions on the decision to free Megrahi.
The oil giant needs to shut all the valves on the new cap in order to test the well's integrity.
If the test - originally planned for Tuesday - is successful the flow of oil will be halted until relief wells can do a permanent "kill".
The latest setback to the test was a leak on a line on the choke valve of the new cap.
The test was already delayed while additional safety monitoring measures were put in place.
BP took another choke valve to the sea floor and attached it to the cap. Preparations are again under way for the test.
With the delay to the test, BP resumed capturing oil from lines on the blowout preventer and taking it to the Q4000 and Helix Producer vessels. This had earlier been suspended as it cannot be done during testing.
During the test, the three valves on the new cap will be shut. At the moment, just two - the large valve on top and the choke - are closed. Oil, mixed with dispersant, is billowing out of the kill valve.
Once the test is under way, and the flow of oil stopped, the pressure within the cap will be tested. If it remains high, it is safe to keep the flow of oil halted.
If the pressure drops, the well must be reopened immediately, as it could be an indication that there are other leaks beneath the surface.
The test was delayed by fears from the authorities about the test making things worse by causing a rupture inside the well.
It is going ahead after BP and government experts agreed on increased monitoring and a review of progress every six hours.
"I was gung-ho for this test and I remain gung-ho for this test," said Adm Thad Allen, the US incident commander, on Wednesday.
But he warned that nobody wanted to make an "irreversible mistake".
If the pressure testing fails, the well will be left open and oil capture to vessels on the surface will be resumed.
Meanwhile, BP continues to face political pressure in the US.
A Congressional committee has agreed measures that would ban the firm from new offshore drilling for seven years.
And in a separate move, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said she will look into a request by four senators to investigate allegations that BP lobbied for the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi while attempting to finalise an oil deal with Libya.
The 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 killed 270 people - most of them were American.
Megrahi, who has terminal prostate cancer, was freed by Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill on compassionate grounds in August 2009 after serving eight years.
In a statement on Thursday, BP admitted it had expressed concern to the UK government about the slow progress of a prisoner transfer agreement between the two countries.
But the firm said it had taken no part in discussions on the decision to free Megrahi.