re: When they start to close the valves...

quote:

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Why even take the risk of closing it

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Isn't the relief well and pumping heavy fluids from the bottom up to kill it, essentialy the same thing as closing it or shutting it off? Wouldn't both result in the same amount of back pressure on the well?

Which leads to the question, if it doesn't hold pressure by choking it off at the top, how will it hold pressure by pumping fluids from the bottom up? Again isn't that the essentially doing the same thing? Or will those heavy fluids/cement also, in addition to creating too much head pressure to allow flow and sealing the pipe, also fill in any subsurface cracking/leaking?

Clarify my ignorance.