If the Top Kill didn't work by pumping mud and cement in the BOP, then why is the relief well going to work. Don't they do the same thing,pump mud and cement into the well. Why is this going to work this time when it didn't work before.

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Posted by tigamike

Member since Jun 2005

5187 posts

Posted on 6/8/10 at 7:03 am to kathleen2

The relief well will significantly reduce the pressure coming out of the damaged riser allowing the proper conditions for the mud / cement to work

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Posted by 79ABTEXTIGER

Abilene, TX

Member since Jul 2009

219 posts

Posted on 6/8/10 at 7:35 am to kathleen2

The relief well will also intersect the blowout well at a deeper point (somewhere close to the interval where the oil originates). This allows BP to pump heavy mud and then cement from the bottom of the well to the top creating much more pressure against the problem zone in order to control it.

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Posted by guttata

prairieville

Member since Feb 2006

22603 posts

Posted on 6/8/10 at 7:39 am to 79ABTEXTIGER

Was watching Larry King last night and T Boone Pickens said that the relief well isn't a guaranteed fix. He said that he had a blowout about 20 yrs ago and it required the drilling of 3 different reief wells before they could get it under control, and that was at like 500 ft of water. He said nobody knows how well a relief well is going to work at 5000 ft.

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Posted by Taxing Authority

Houston

Member since Feb 2010

62480 posts

Posted on 6/8/10 at 9:01 am to guttata

quote:
T Boone Pickens said that the relief well isn't a guaranteed fix. He said that he had a blowout about 20 yrs ago

Directional drilling has significantly improved in the last 20 years. For such a tech driven operation, that's historic not relevant info. 20 years ago we we had no internet as we know it today.

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Posted by Sid in Lakeshore