New Capping System Aims to End Further Leaking of Oil into the Gulf of Mexico

BP’s latest capping system prior to lowering into the Gulf. The new system will hopefully halt the gushing of oil directly into Gulf waters. Source: The Oil Drum

In what could be a major, positive development in the Gulf of Mexico, BP finished installing a new capping system Monday evening that appears to offer the best chance yet to halt the flow of oil that has been gushing into the Gulf of Mexico for the past 85 days.

Testing scheduled to begin today that could last 48 hours will determine whether the new, tighter-fitting system can be used to temporarily seal the well, and if not, at least funnel more of the leaking oil and gas to the surface.

The new 80-ft tall, 150,000-lb. structure is topped with what is essentially a second blowout preventer (BOP) with valves that, beginning today, will be gradually closed while engineers monitor the pressure coming from the oil and gas reservoir below.

If the pressure steadily increases as valves are closed, the new system may be able to cap the flow until relief wells are finished in the coming month.

If pressure does not increase or fluctuates unexpectedly as the valves are closed, the indication would be that the bore hole has been compromised. Rather than forcing more high-pressure oil and gas into the rock formations outside of the bore hole — risking fracturing of subsurface strata and the creation of new seabed leaks –- efforts to cap the well will halt and the system will be used to divert oil and gas to surface ships. Unlike the previous system, the new tighter-fitting cap should be able to capture all or nearly all of the oil and gas, thereby preventing it from escaping into the Gulf.

Oil and gas streaming from the top of the new capping system shortly after installation was completed. This is where a 5,000 ft riser will be attached to direct the flow to the surface. Source: The Oil Drum

That the new system is being tried at this late date is a reflection of how unprepared BP was for a deepwater blowout; that its installation went so smoothly as it did is an indication of how much they have learned from previous attempts.

Throughout the removal of the old top-cap and installation of the new system, oil spewed into the Gulf waters much as we have seen in the past. Chemical dispersants at the source (white lines in image at left) and skimmers on the surface were employed to keep damage to a minimum.

In the coming hours and days, we should see a dramatic reduction in the amount of oil and gas escaping from the top of the new system as the valves beneath it are closed during the pressure test .

If the well cannot be capped, the new system has provisions for attaching a new choke line and kill line (in addition to corresponding lines from the old BOP). Thus, with the main riser pipe, there will be 5 avenues through which oil and gas can be directed to the surface. Collection capacity of the new system and two additional surface vessels should be in the 60-80,000 bbl/day range — significantly higher than the previous system — and enough to capture the full flow from the ruptured well.

Let us hope this latest attempt works.