howcome nobody is worried??????? http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Feds-Oil-gas-leaking-from-cap-apf-1816506566.html?x=0 NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Oil and gas are leaking from the cap on BP's ruptured oil well but the cork will stay in place for now, the federal government's point man on the spill said Monday. The leaks aren't "consequential," retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said, relieving concerns that they are a sign the cap is creating too much pressure underground. That could mean the cap that's stopped oil since Thursday would have to be opened. Allen said BP could continue testing the cap, meaning keeping it shut, for at least another 24 hours. He said BP must keep rigorously monitoring for any signs that this test could worsen the overall situation. If there was a quick rise in pressure, the well would be vented immediately to keep from creating leaks deep underground, Allen said. Allen repeated Monday that the next step wasn't clear. "I'm not prepared to say the well is shut in until the relief well is done. There are too many uncertainties," he said. The concern all along -- since pressure readings on the cap weren't as high as expected -- was a leak elsewhere in the well bore, meaning the cap may have to be reopened to prevent the environmental disaster from becoming even worse and harder to fix. With the newly installed cap keeping oil out of the Gulf, this weekend offered a chance for the oil company and government to gloat over their shared success -- the first real victory in fighting the spill. Instead, the two sides have spent the past two days disagreeing over what to do with the undersea machinery holding back the gusher. "We had some concerns ... about commitments that BP had made that we did not feel that they were adequately living up to in terms of that monitoring," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. "That was dealt with last night on a call that lasted late into the evening." The apparent disagreement began to sprout Saturday when Allen said the cap would eventually be hooked up to a mile-long pipe to pump the crude to ships on the surface. But early the next day, BP chief operating officer Doug Suttles said the cap should stay clamped shut to keep in the oil until a permanent fix. The company very much wants to avoid a repeat of millions of gallons of oil spewing from the blown well for weeks, watched live across the country on underwater video. If the valves are kept closed, as BP wants, it's possible that no more oil will leak into the Gulf of Mexico. Work on a permanent plug is moving steadily, with crews drilling into the side of the ruptured well from deep underground. By next week, they could start blasting in mud and cement to block off the well for good. But the government is worried that the cap on the well is causing oil and gas to leak out elsewhere, which could make the sea floor unstable and cause the well to collapse. That's why federal officials want to pump the crude to ships on the surface. That would require opening the well for a few days to relieve pressure before the pipes could be hooked up, letting millions more gallons of oil spill out in the interim. Daly reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Jay Reeves in Orange Beach, Ala., Erica Werner in Washington, AP video journalist Haven Daley in Biloxi, Miss., and Robert Barr in London contributed to this report.
I am guessing the cap will not sustain the pressure more and it will blow off. The current leak is a sign of that
They can vent the cap (if need be). The cap was installed for a few reasons. One to give them some controls (valves) so they have options to control flow. Another is to test the well-bore/casing integrity by pressurizing the system. The higher the pressure climes and holds, the more stable the integrity of the well reads. They did not get the readings they were hoping for. The underlying issue is the well bore and casing. If these are compromised (and they appear to be - witness the sea-floor seepage), the bottom kill operation will be much less effective in sealing the well. I would surmise they are frantically trying to determine the extent of the bore/casing damage. If they keep the cap closed and oil/gas is finding its way out the bore through cracks and continual erosion. This has the potential to open up the sea floor creating an unrestrained flow (i.e. out of control well).
<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LcECdwx1XFs&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LcECdwx1XFs&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
If they could bolt a cap on it, why could they not bolt on a new section of pipe, run it up to the surface and just start harvesting the crude as per normal? If that well casing breaks free of the bore and shoots out like the drill string did, there's a good chance that hole will never be plugged and we get to wait until the entire field is drained into the gulf.
I have my theories... Mostly conspiracy (at this point). This whole exploration project has been a nightmare from before it became news. Bad to worse...
Minutes ago I saw the U.S. gov't is now trying to help BP with a decision to remove the cap and check it's functioning. U.S. recommends pulling the cap, BP disagrees.
Matt Simmons continues to submit that what we are being shown and told about (MSM) is NOT the primary source of the leak. That is very concerning to me - given his position within the industry. <object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IiNmZGuR7D4&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IiNmZGuR7D4&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>