3 ms·
>Deep-water wells are all but impossible to stop. While I realize you're referring to a functioning deep-water well, working as designed, I can't help but reme
by Frost1x 7y ago
>Deep-water wells are all but impossible to stop.
While I realize you're referring to a functioning deep-water well, working as designed, I can't help but remember the complete mess from Deepwater Horizon. If it's difficult to stop a correctly functioning deep-water well, I have even more respect for that mess of a situation (and a bit more disdain for the practice in general):
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill
- tgb 7y agoThat was ten years ago today, actually. I just watched this wonderful 11 minute video on the failure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCVCOWejlag https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCVCOWejlag
- CamperBob2 7y agoThose videos are great, very educational. Like a mashup of Khan Academy, Derek Lowe, and Calvin & Hobbes.
- baud147258 7y agoI ended up watching a bunch of those videos, they are really well made, thank you for the link
- mastratton3 7y agoThat occurred during drilling not production so all the standard well head facilities were not in place.
- scurvy 7y agoThere were still mechanical failures all over in safety devices. We're drilling much deeper than under higher pressures now than Deepwater Horizon. To imply that deepwater oil production is safe, is crazy. Storms happen. Mudslides (underwater) happen. Pandemics happen. This is why majors contract out to the offshore drillers. They want nothing to do with it.
- mastratton3 7y agoThat's not exactly accurate. Transocean was the contract driller on deepwater horizon but BP still took the brunt of the liability and PR backlash. The contract structure actually hasn't changed much in the past 20 years.