BP stops oil flow into Gulf of Mexico

Originally posted by jtma508
So I would ask people to take a deep breath and think before you post pronouncements about a process none of us is qualified to critique.

I wouldn't say none of us is qualified. I used to work as an engineer on offshore drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and I know a lot about these issues from personal experience, though I've never been involved in a blowout. Those are extremely rare, thank goodness, and we always did everything we could to prevent them.

And you're right, it's not nearly as simple as some people portray it.

And I certainly don't have all the details in this case to analyze because I'm sure they haven't released them all. It sounds like the BP employee who overruled the toolpusher may be in hot water though. I think it would be premature to convict him in the court of public opinion, but at least he's a prime suspect.

It doesn't look like they've stopped it yet to me.

And I wouldn't want to drink that drilling mud, but I have been covered by it pretty much head to toe at times like most other offshore oil workers, it gets everywhere. The rig I was on used barium sulfate to make the drilling mud heavy and the water soluble compounds of barium are toxic but barium sulfate is not water soluble, so hopefully not too toxic.

If any of you are interested, here's an old paper that examines the toxicity of barium sulfate and other components of drilling mud to aquatic biological systems:

www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca...

I do know it's expensive so all that mud leaking out isn't cheap.

Originally posted by IgnoranceIsntBlisss
Perhaps the mud is toxic, but would you prefer the oil to still be gushing?

Well, given that the 'mud' is a toxic man-made chemical concoction, and the dispersant is also a toxic product not only masking the damage, but killing off the ecosystem quicker than anything natural (non-manmade) pouring into the Gulf, I would back the oil in a heartbeat.

Of course, none of the options are preferable, but only one of them belong to Mother Nature - it's a harsh reminder that we humans should not be relying on oil in the first place when we should've been on free energy technologies for over 60 years now. Isn't there a saying among the Hopi indians about oil mining being akin to cutting into the 'flesh' of the Earth, like cutting into the organs of the planet like an open wound?

Maybe we're about to pay the price for our greed and needless pillaging of this planet. I'm no greenie (I think Environmentalism is a con and an illusion just like every other political movement or ideology) but it's karma time for our species as a whole, I feel.

Unless you are intimately familiar with how and why mud is used on a oil well, you are really just brattling about like a man does when he tries to discuss a pregnancy.

Originally posted by slugger9787
Unless you are intimately familiar with how and why mud is used on a oil well, you are really just brattling about like a man does when he tries to discuss a pregnancy.

You mean like this guy?

The Pregnant Man Is Pregnant a Third Time

Well I don't know as much as the mud engineer but I know enough about how the mud density affects whether or not the well leaks or blows out.

reply to post by jtma508


Well said Jtma. We all want the leak to stop. It is horrible it happened in the first place. The fault is in letting the drilling happen and BP not having safety measures in place.
But as for the time it took to cap this thing, I can imagine it takes engineering of epic proportions.
People forget this is a mile into the ocean.

It must be like trying to build a house, a mile under the ocean, with nothin but two robots and a video screen.

Its gonna take a few days.....

i dont believe the leak has been stopped just temp " plugged " this soultion will not last but it will last long enough for shareholders at NYSE to make up for record losses, not to mention that there still is muck flowing from the pipe, who says that oil is not flowing out with it,with the toxic mud and oil and chemicals to try and break down the oil we are majorly screwing with the water out there, who knows how long it will take to bounce back, say goodbye to most of the fishing and clamming trade out there. thousands of people will be without a job. BP should be charged criminally and should be held responsible for this...i cant believe it

Originally posted by slugger9787
Unless you are intimately familiar with how and why mud is used on a oil well, you are really just brattling about like a man does when he tries to discuss a pregnancy.

Was that one-liner really necessary? It's not only the mud that's my concern, it's the dispersant - experts say Corexit 9500 (also owned by BP - which is a conspiracy in itself) is a solvent four times more toxic than oil.

Breaking news article here:

Oil spill threatens 'total destruction'

Do you really want this toxic cocktail of mud, oil and dispersant raining down all over the entire coast of America? Because that's exactly what's going to happen. It causes the sea life to decompose quickly so they sink quickly. It's going to eat away at the fat on your skin, like a super-strong detergent.

We all know we are not going to get the truth from BP's press releases. They have lied over and over, downplayed this disaster since day one.

We can't afford to downplay this anymore. I'm sick of the smartalec comments, the 'oh who are you to talk about this' attitude, the apathy in the world at large.

Well we need to talk about this, as concerned citizens of the Earth. And bearing in mind the possible agendas at play (Georgia Guidestones?) Or does nobody really care about this?


[edit on 28-5-2010 by RiotComing]

reply to post by plumranch


Lame a response, but, no they didn't. Thread title is wrong.
CJ

Originally posted by RiotComing

Originally posted by slugger9787
Unless you are intimately familiar with how and why mud is used on a oil well, you are really just brattling about like a man does when he tries to discuss a pregnancy.

Was that one-liner really necessary? It's not only the mud that's my concern, it's the dispersant - experts say Corexit 9500 (also owned by BP - which is a conspiracy in itself) is a solvent four times more toxic than oil.

Breaking news article here:

Oil spill threatens 'total destruction'

Do you really want this toxic cocktail of mud, oil and dispersant raining down all over the entire coast of America? Because that's exactly what's going to happen. It causes the sea life to decompose quickly so they sink quickly. It's going to eat away at the fat on your skin, like a super-strong detergent.

We all know we are not going to get the truth from BP's press releases. They have lied over and over, downplayed this disaster since day one.

We can't afford to downplay this anymore. I'm sick of the smartalec comments, the 'oh who are you to talk about this' attitude, the apathy in the world at large.

Well we need to talk about this, as concerned citizens of the Earth. And bearing in mind the possible agendas at play (Georgia Guidestones?) Or does nobody really care about this?


[edit on 28-5-2010 by RiotComing]

You say good things and then you bring up the GA guidestones? Seriously? Explain please how these are intertwined and how as concerned citizens of this earth these particular lame a guidestones give us anything other than conspiracy material?

Thanks in advance,
Colorado

Same ol Same ol......

The tactics of CAPPING this type of underwater BLOW OUT has been tried before.....and failed......

Wake up already.....this is BRITISH P WERE TALKING ABOUT....




I forgot to mention....that SPILL that was the biggest in our History at that time was in only 200 feet of sea.....NOT 1 MILE....Propaganda at its finest

[edit on 28-5-2010 by hoochymama]

Originally posted by IgnoranceIsntBlisss
I Perhaps the mud is toxic, but would you prefer the oil to still be gushing?

What kind of option is that? How is that any different than saying you are going to kill me but give me the choice of death by fire or death by drowning?

Ummm.. This article is TWO DAYS old. This morning it was still leaking full tilt... I watch it as I hear Rick the child killer Sanchez yelling at me for 1 hour.

BP = Barack's Problem...

what a joke