Gulf Oil Spill Threatens East Coast Shoreline
BP Oil Spill Changes Lives of Gulf Residents
Off-Shore Oil Drilling Moratorium Overturned by New Orleans Judge
BP Purchasing Kevin Costner’s Oil Clean-Up Machines
Oil Spill Partners in Crime – BP, Transocean, and Halliburton
BP VP Pleased at Latest Containment Success, Alabama Mayor is Not
BP Bottom-Kill Procedure May Not Be Necessary
BP Oil Spill Timeline - Ongoing Disaster
BP Relief Well Within Days of Completion
BP Claims Static-Kill Operation a Success
Tropical Storm Threatens Completion of BP Relief Well
Another Gulf Oil Spill - SPECIAL REPORT
Storm Delays BP Relief Well and Bottom-Kill
New BP Containment Cap - So Far, So Good
Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Disaster Worsens
Coast Guard “Cautiously Optimistic” That BP Top Hat Operation is Working
On Wednesday evening, BP began its “top hat” operation to plug its leaking well. The process is injects thick mud into the well at higher pressures than the earth is using to push the oil out. It is done in stages, with steady pressure and ever-thickening mud slowly overcoming the pressure behind the escaping oil. If it works, BP can then inject cement into the well to seal it. BP is placing its chance of success at about 60 percent to 70 percent. As with BP’s other efforts, this one comes with a potentially heavy price tag.
If the “top hat” operation works, it could actually cause the oil pressure to increase to the point that it would further rupture other valves and cause a series of leaks instead of the one. Considering the extent of the devastation that has already occurred, this is a dismal scenario. As of this morning, though, the U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen told a New Orleans radio station that the operation seems to be working “so far” and that the Coast Guard is “cautiously optimistic”.
With even the most conservative estimates placing the total amount of oil spewed into the Gulf of Mexico at 7 million gallons, some hope is surely better than none.
More on the BP oil spill:
Accuracy of Oil Spill Flow Data challenged
BP Oil Spill significantly worse than Exxon Valdez Disaster
BP Oil Spill Timeline - Ongoing Disaster
Fisherman helping with BP oil spill clean-up becoming sick
BP Oil spill causes political changes of heart about off-shore drilling
Recommended for Further Reading:
- Gulf Oil Spill Threatens East Coast Shoreline
- BP Oil Spill Changes Lives of Gulf Residents
- Off-Shore Oil Drilling Moratorium Overturned by New Orleans Judge
- BP Purchasing Kevin Costner’s Oil Clean-Up Machines
- Oil Spill Partners in Crime – BP, Transocean, and Halliburton
- BP VP Pleased at Latest Containment Success, Alabama Mayor is Not
- BP Bottom-Kill Procedure May Not Be Necessary
- BP Oil Spill Timeline - Ongoing Disaster
- BP Relief Well Within Days of Completion
- BP Claims Static-Kill Operation a Success
- Tropical Storm Threatens Completion of BP Relief Well
- Another Gulf Oil Spill - SPECIAL REPORT
- Storm Delays BP Relief Well and Bottom-Kill
- New BP Containment Cap - So Far, So Good
- Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Disaster Worsens
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