BP Holding the Gulf Hostage to Hide Actual Flow Rate? -- HuffPo

...unexplained drop in pressure at the gusher...where'd the pressure go?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-l-cavnar/bp-holding-the-gulf-hosta_b_650375.html

Robert L. Cavnar | Founder, dailyhurricane.com
Posted: July 18, 2010 10:21 AM


BP Holding the Gulf Hostage to Hide Actual Flow Rate?

So, over the last 3 days, BP has walked the "integrity" goalpost down from as high as 9,000 psi to 6,000 psi, or at least the 6,700 psi, which happens to be where they are, give or take 100 psi. You know Adm Allen didn't just make up the 8,000 to 9,000, being a sea captain and knowing little to nothing about oil and gas. Somebody gave him those numbers. BP moved to goalpost and the timeline, and the press let them get away with it. Again.

Here's the rich part. Today, Suttles dodged virtually every inquiry as to exactly what BP intends to do, picking up the new mantra that Wells started yesterday, "Nobody wants to see any more oil going into the Gulf." He said it at least 5 times (seemed like 100). He said the facilities to take 100% of the flow would take until the end of the month, and coincidently, that the relief well would be ready for the kill at the same time. He also said this morning that, in order to open up the well for containment, they would flow oil into the Gulf for up to 3 days. 3 days. Wells said something similar yesterday, raising the specter of oil spewing into the Gulf on all of our television screens, claiming that they would have to do that to take pressure off of the well before containment could resume. Of course, no one asked the obvious question of why they would have to do that since they have 2 closed systems with chokes tied to the well that they've already used successfully. Unless I'm missing something, they can "relieve pressure" up the existing risers. If they can't do that, they can certainly put the Enterprise back on station, and run a riser with a latching cap to tie directly to the top of the stack.

So the stage is set. It sure looks like to me that BP is refusing to disclose critical data and playing chicken with the government while holding our Gulf of Mexico as hostage. They have every motivation to not produce the well, for all the reasons we've discussed before, most importantly, being able to measure the flow; and the ROV feed of oil roaring back into the Gulf is the gun to the head. The government should compel BP to release all the data from this test. Again, this well, this lease, this oil and gas belong to the United States. This well is in federal waters, and we are all owners here. As owners of this resource, we have a right to see all the information available. BP should immediately release all of the pressure buildup data, temperature data, acoustic data, and seismic data. They should also release their build up models including the Horner plot forecasts that Wells discussed yesterday. Only then can we make a judgment that BP is managing this in the best interest of the United States, not just their own. We need no more reason for this demand than the massive scale of this catastrophe.

One more thing...these McBriefings are almost useless, and we're just passively sitting there letting BP get away with "technical briefings" that are neither technical or briefings. It's time to start asking the hard questions, demanding the data, and to stop putting up with the one question per customer, no followups, no coupons accepted policy. These briefings should be live, with some reporters actually present rather than just by telephone. If the government won't do it, then we need to. This is too important.

that BP's goal was between 8,000-9,000 PSI, with anything below 6,000 being "unacceptable"...In other words, 6,000 is the lowest number they want to see out there.

"This weekend BP remained cautiously optimistic that the cap placed on top of the Gulf of Mexico well on Thursday night would continue to hold back the torrent of oil. It is the first time the flow has been stopped since the accident happened almost three months ago. But BP said that the pressure readings from the Macondo well were not as high as it had hoped, which could indicate that it has ruptured and that oil could be leaking out somewhere else.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/18/deepwater-horizon-blow-out-preventer-china

Previously, measurements were much in excess of the figures currently being touted. It's one of those things that makes one ponder what is really going on down below.

At lease we can rest assured that we haven't been lied to or deceived by BP or the government before... umm, scratch that.

was not a good prospect for drilling in the first place, b/c of the gigantic methane deposits. so one has to wonder if the drop in pressure doesn't mean there's another leak somewhere else.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38304846/

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gIXWYBTpLtSayJtg41LKXpxSxVPAD9H2B0TG0

http://www.examiner.com/x-47892-Environmental-News-Examiner~y2010m7d19-Gulf-oil-spill-update-Statement-by-Admiral-Allen-seafloor-seep-methane-more-questions-answers

Damn!!!

Think about it yall.Nothing else makes sense.

keeping the cap closed? They aren't collecting any oil at all right now.

Expropriate without compensation

well closed is beyond my understanding.

They're on the hook for something like $4,300 per barrel per day that gushes into the Gulf, so anything BP can do to hide the actual numbers is in their financial interest. You may well wonder why, given this simple fact, BP continues to be in charge of all things related to their massive fuck up. It’s as if a bank robber was asked by the Judge how much he stole: If it was more than $100, he’d go to jail for 10 years. If it was more than $1,000, he’d face a sentence of 15 years. And for over $10,000, he goes to the slammer for 25 years to life. Now, understanding this, how much did you get from the bank, son? Gee, Your Honor, I don’t think it could have possibly been as much as even a hundred bucks!

Likewise, on some distant day when the damages are totted up and the penalty reckoned against BP, they will be the ones in the best position to fix the exact number of barrels their incompetence fouled the Gulf of Mexico. You think it will be anywhere near the actual number? Because if you do, I’m a motivated seller, and you could buy my deed to the Brooklyn Bridge. Cheap!

added up.
I really hope that by keeping the cap closed BP doesn't mess up so badly even relief wells won't help.
Presumably BP should be under investigation, and yet they are also in charge of fixing this mess. So it is very much like asking a suspect to lead the criminal investigation and then expect the suspect to do a really good job.