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Started By
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When they start to close the valves...
Posted on 7/13/10 at 7:51 am
Posted on 7/13/10 at 7:51 am
...I think the cap will be pushed off the leaking pipe. I hope not but that is what I think will happen.
3
Posted on 7/13/10 at 8:19 am to BamaScoop
lets just hope as they close the valves, back pressure doesn't cause the casing below the seabed to fracture.
Posted on 7/13/10 at 8:29 am to BamaScoop
quote:
I think the cap will be pushed off the leaking pipe. I hope not but that is what I think will happen
Really low probablity that will happen. The concern is a subsea formation fracture which could have already happened for all we know.
Posted on 7/13/10 at 8:35 am to BamaScoop
quote:
that is what I think will happen
Based on what ? Why do you think that? Are you familiar with the design of this system ?
Posted on 7/13/10 at 8:38 am to TexTiga
this thing is bolted on, it wont blow off.
Posted on 7/13/10 at 8:49 am to diat150
Since they have all the production ships on the surface and the relief well just a few weeks off (hopefully. Why even take the risk of closing it of and further compromising the well structure?
I could see some brief testing of the well integrity for the relief well intervention phase but not much more than that!
I could see some brief testing of the well integrity for the relief well intervention phase but not much more than that!
Posted on 7/13/10 at 8:51 am to STEVED00
quote:
The concern is a subsea formation fracture which could have already happened for all we know.
Kind of off topic...but what if a fracture has taken place below where the relief well will enter the casing? Will they still be able to cement it in?
Posted on 7/13/10 at 10:10 am to LSU0358
could be wrong, but i doubt a fracture at that depth is of any concern. oil would still have to finagle its way through 18,000' of soil/rock to reach the surface.
Posted on 7/13/10 at 10:24 am to diat150
quote:
this thing is bolted on, it wont blow off.
I didn't realize that.
Posted on 7/13/10 at 10:55 am to BamaScoop
quote:
this thing is bolted on, it wont blow off.
I thought the upper two sections were hydraulically attached.
Posted on 7/13/10 at 11:23 am to Oyster
the new flange was bolted on, the cap is just sitting on top
Posted on 7/13/10 at 12:05 pm to YatTigah
quote:
the new flange was bolted on, the cap is just sitting on top
Actually the new flange has a connector on the end which mates up with the connector on the capping stack. Its not just sitting on top. The connector is rated for max SITP of the well.
In other words, the capping stack is not going anywhere.
Posted on 7/13/10 at 12:53 pm to STEVED00
correct me if i am wrong but if the well formation holds up during the test and they are able to shut it off none of the containment cap will be used?
Posted on 7/13/10 at 1:01 pm to STEVED00
quote:
Actually the new flange has a connector on the end which mates up with the connector on the capping stack.
Sort of like a quick connect coupler right?
Posted on 7/13/10 at 3:36 pm to diat150
quote:
correct me if i am wrong but if the well formation holds up during the test and they are able to shut it off none of the containment cap will be used?
No, the containment cap is how they will shut it off during the test. If it holds, they will just leave the rams closed.
Posted on 7/13/10 at 3:36 pm to TexTiga
quote:
Why even take the risk of closing it
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.
This post was edited on 7/13/10 at 3:37 pm
Posted on 7/13/10 at 3:41 pm to Tiger-Striped-Bass
quote:
Isn't the relief well and pumping heavy fluids from the bottom up to kill it, essentially the same thing as closing it or shutting it off? Wouldn't both result in the same amount of back pressure on the well?
No, it's the opposite. Putting heavy mud into the well will increase the hydrostatic pressure at the bottom so that there's less pressure at the top.
P(top) = P(formation) - P(hydro)
The goal is to make P(hydro) greater than P(formation) so that the flow stops. (That's a bit oversimplified, but close enough.)
Posted on 7/13/10 at 4:07 pm to TexTiga
quote:
Sort of like a quick connect coupler right?
Its definitely in the ball park
Posted on 7/14/10 at 7:03 am to STEVED00
quote:
The goal is to make P(hydro) greater than P(formation) so that the flow stops. (That's a bit oversimplified, but close enough.)
I'm clear on that and understand that perfectly.
Here's what I don't. It's formation pressure that is felt throughout the system and is what we're fighting, right? Any pressure equalization, regardless of where flow is stopped, will be whatever the formation pressure is, right? If you stop the flow on top with the cap, pressure throughout the system equalizes to formation pressure. If you stop flow on the bottom, from that point down, pressure equalizes to formation pressure. So what difference does it make of where you stop flow in regards to creating other leaks in the sea floor/subsurface if the integrity of these areas is suspect?
In other words, if a cap on top causes subsurface/sea floor leakage, what makes the bottom kill any different? Your still relying on the same sea floor to hold back the same formation pressure. Is it that the cement that is pumped in will also enter the formation and fill any cracks that may form in the process?
Not trying to be argumentative. I have no expertise in the oil field, but I do understand pressure and that issue remains unclear to me.
This post was edited on 7/14/10 at 7:06 am
Posted on 7/14/10 at 7:30 am to Tiger-Striped-Bass
One question that has been lingering in my head is that: since this is a high pressure well (to the extent that they want to kill it because pressure is too high?), would they encounter the similar issues in being able to hold down the pressure once the relief wells hit the main target well bore?
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