* READ THIS The Oil Drum | What Caused The Deepwater Horizon Disaster?
a flawed well plan that did not include enough cement between the 7-inch production casing and the 9 7/8-inch protection casing. The presumed blowout preventer (BOP) failure is an important but secondary issue.
… Based on the chronology presented above, it seems strange that so little was apparently done in the hour-and-forty minutes between the notable increase in mud pit volume and the blowout, except to stop circulating twice. At the same time, it is easy to see the warning signs now that we know the outcome, and we do not know what was done or discussed at the time–we only have recordings on a chart.
… the larger issue that a flawed, risky well plan for the MC 252 well was approved by the MMS, and BP, Anadarko and Mitsui management. Similar or identical plans were undoubtedly approved and used by many operators on other wells drilled in the Gulf of Mexico. A plan that does not include enough cement to overlap the final and previous casing strings, and that does not require running a cement-bond log to ensure the integrity of the seal [especially after a failing pressure test] is a defective plan. The fact that there have not been blowouts on previous wells does not justify the approval and use of an unsafe plan.
* Bloomberg | BP Cap Waiver May Be Moot in Light of Possible Lapses Don’t hold your breath. See also:
Conflict of Interest in BP Legal Fight?
* Stinque | “Preventable industrial catastrophes are just God“s way of making life more interesting.”
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What are your opinions on the Kerry-Lieberman Climate Bill? I live in an area where people either love it or hate it (adopt the bill and America is doomed to thermonuclear annihilation; don’t adopt the bill and America is doomed to thermonuclear annihilation). I’d like to see a real, readable risk-benefit analysis.
