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The Battle to End the Gulf Oil Blowout - “Bottom Kill” vs. “Nuke Kill”
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May 30,2010 SJR-- As BP fails over and over to stop the relentless oil flowing into the Gulf of Mexico, a heated battle of scientific theories is
boiling under the surface, just out of public view.
At stake, the future lives of millions of people and trillions of dollars worth of property. In a worst case scenario, the giant oil field continues to blow oil and gas uncontrolled into the sea for more than two decades. In such an event, thousands of miles of international costal shorelines and possibly more than a few costal cities will be totally wiped out.
So setting politics aside, what do the experts think we need to do?
One group of experts arguing for the “Bottom Kill”, believe in a ‘Super-Heavy Fluid Theory’. According to this group, once the relief wells reach the bottom of the original bore well several miles below the sea floor, some kind of ‘super heavy drilling fluid’ can be pumped in. Their theory claims that the hydrostatic pressure of this ‘super heavy fluid’ will stop the blowout as the original well fills up from below.
Skeptics of the “Bottom-Kill” effort have pointed out that there is no precedent for a bottom-kill solution in the unique circumstances involved. The biggest problem is that no one knows the magnitude of the hydrostatic pressure of the field itself. It’s is very possible that the loose sand and sediment that comprises the earth’s crust between the oil-field and the sea floor is flexible and acting to add ‘crustal weight’ to the oil-field’s hydrostatic pressure.
“Crustal weight” is a huge issue that is off the radar screen of many scientists working on the problem. In typical rock formations, crustal weight is not a consideration, because either solid rock above an oil field or porous rock within a field can carry the crustal weight load. But the Gulf of Mexico at the location and depths involved is unlike all other drilling operations. The sediment and sands that contain the oil and gas may be very compressible, and that would mean that the oil field’s hydrostatic pressure is supporting the entire weight of the earth’s crust above it.
Furthermore, some bottom-kill advocates are mis-calculating the hydrostatic pressure they believe that their ‘super heavy fluid’ can produce at the intersection point. The mis-calculation is created because they are treating the well as a vertical shaft, when in fact the well travels both vertically and horizontally down to the oil field. Only the vertical component can be computed to correctly make such a calculation. In the event that the crustal conditions in the gulf contribute to the oil-field’s hydrostatic pressure, it is highly unlikely that any ‘super-heavy drilling fluid’ will be able to generate a high enough counter hydrostatic pressure to contain the oil and gas blowout. Unfortunately, in such an event, the relief wells themselves will also blowout and become uncontrolled upon intersecting either the oilfield or the original well bore.
A group of experts arguing for the “Nuke Kill”, understand the mis-calculations being made by their opponents and believe that nothing short of collapsing the earth’s crust onto this oil field will stop the blowout. They fully acknowledge that even nuclear bombs might not work, but to paraphrase oil insider Matt Simmons, “Using a bomb can’t be worse than letting oil blowout into the sea for 9000 days.”
.............................................................................................................................................
Disclaimer: The preceding article contains speculative facts and conclusions by its author. All rights under 17 USC reserved. Original Content first posted at www.abovetopsecret.com by its author.
At stake, the future lives of millions of people and trillions of dollars worth of property. In a worst case scenario, the giant oil field continues to blow oil and gas uncontrolled into the sea for more than two decades. In such an event, thousands of miles of international costal shorelines and possibly more than a few costal cities will be totally wiped out.
So setting politics aside, what do the experts think we need to do?
One group of experts arguing for the “Bottom Kill”, believe in a ‘Super-Heavy Fluid Theory’. According to this group, once the relief wells reach the bottom of the original bore well several miles below the sea floor, some kind of ‘super heavy drilling fluid’ can be pumped in. Their theory claims that the hydrostatic pressure of this ‘super heavy fluid’ will stop the blowout as the original well fills up from below.
Skeptics of the “Bottom-Kill” effort have pointed out that there is no precedent for a bottom-kill solution in the unique circumstances involved. The biggest problem is that no one knows the magnitude of the hydrostatic pressure of the field itself. It’s is very possible that the loose sand and sediment that comprises the earth’s crust between the oil-field and the sea floor is flexible and acting to add ‘crustal weight’ to the oil-field’s hydrostatic pressure.
“Crustal weight” is a huge issue that is off the radar screen of many scientists working on the problem. In typical rock formations, crustal weight is not a consideration, because either solid rock above an oil field or porous rock within a field can carry the crustal weight load. But the Gulf of Mexico at the location and depths involved is unlike all other drilling operations. The sediment and sands that contain the oil and gas may be very compressible, and that would mean that the oil field’s hydrostatic pressure is supporting the entire weight of the earth’s crust above it.
Furthermore, some bottom-kill advocates are mis-calculating the hydrostatic pressure they believe that their ‘super heavy fluid’ can produce at the intersection point. The mis-calculation is created because they are treating the well as a vertical shaft, when in fact the well travels both vertically and horizontally down to the oil field. Only the vertical component can be computed to correctly make such a calculation. In the event that the crustal conditions in the gulf contribute to the oil-field’s hydrostatic pressure, it is highly unlikely that any ‘super-heavy drilling fluid’ will be able to generate a high enough counter hydrostatic pressure to contain the oil and gas blowout. Unfortunately, in such an event, the relief wells themselves will also blowout and become uncontrolled upon intersecting either the oilfield or the original well bore.
A group of experts arguing for the “Nuke Kill”, understand the mis-calculations being made by their opponents and believe that nothing short of collapsing the earth’s crust onto this oil field will stop the blowout. They fully acknowledge that even nuclear bombs might not work, but to paraphrase oil insider Matt Simmons, “Using a bomb can’t be worse than letting oil blowout into the sea for 9000 days.”
.............................................................................................................................................
Disclaimer: The preceding article contains speculative facts and conclusions by its author. All rights under 17 USC reserved. Original Content first posted at www.abovetopsecret.com by its author.
They nuke that and hell will be opened up
You can't "top kill" hell
You can't "top kill" hell
Earth 2020
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/73944b934c80.jpg[/atsimg]
Man It isn't just the oil and gas the earth is losing into the gulf.
The pressure involved is also being losed at an incredible rate.
Let the air out of a punching bag. That's about what you have here.
You have some good info here.SnF
[edit on 30-5-2010 by randyvs]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/73944b934c80.jpg[/atsimg]
Man It isn't just the oil and gas the earth is losing into the gulf.
The pressure involved is also being losed at an incredible rate.
Let the air out of a punching bag. That's about what you have here.
You have some good info here.SnF
[edit on 30-5-2010 by randyvs]
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