Feds: More Analysis Needed Before BP Starts Well Cap Tests

[Casino67]

FoxNews.com:

NEW ORLEANS -- BP is delaying critical tests on a leaky well cap designed to finally stop the flow of oil in the Gulf of Mexico after government officials said more analysis was needed on the plan.

BP engineers were scheduled to start slowly shutting off valves on the 75-ton metal stack of pipes and valves, aiming to stop the flow of oil for the first time in three months. A series of preliminary steps were completed, including mapping the seafloor.

National Incident Commander Thad Allen said in a statement Tuesday night the process "may benefit from additional analysis" that would be performed overnight and Wednesday. He did not say when the tests would start.

The decision was reached after Allen met with federal officials, scientists and geologists.

If the cap works, it will enable BP to stop the oil from gushing into the sea, either by holding all the oil inside the well machinery like a stopper or, if the pressure is too great, channeling some though pipes to as many as four collection ships.

"I don't know what's taking them so long. I just hope they take care of it," said Lanette Eder, a vacationing school nutritionist from Hoschton, Georgia, who was walking on the white sand at Pensacola Beach, Florida.

"I can't say that I'm optimistic -- It's been, what, 84 days now? -- but I'm hopeful," said Nancy LaNasa, 56, who runs a yoga center in Pensacola.

The cap is just a stopgap measure that can't keep the oil in check for all time. To end the leak for good, the well needs to be plugged at the source. BP is drilling two relief wells through the seafloor to reach the broken well, possibly by late July, and jam it permanently with heavy drilling mud and cement. After that, the Gulf Coast faces a long cleanup.

In Washington, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the effort to put the containment cap into operation "represents the best news that we've had in the preceding 85 days."

"We are approaching what we hope is the next phase in the Gulf -- understanding that that next phase is likely to take many years," he added.

BP engineers planned to shut off pipes that are already funneling some oil to two ships, to see how the cap handles the pressure of the crude coming up from the ground. Then they planned to close, one by one, three valves that let oil pass through the cap.

Experts said stopping the oil too quickly could blow the cap off or further damage the well.

Scientists will be looking for high pressure readings of 8,000 to 9,000 pounds per square inch. Anything lower than 6,000 pounds might indicate previously unidentified leaks in the well.

"What we can't tell is the current condition of the wellbore below the seafloor," Allen said. "That is the purpose of the well integrity test."

If the cap cannot handle the pressure, or leaks are discovered, BP will have to reopen the valves and let some of the oil out. In that case, BP is ready to collect the crude by piping it to as many as four vessels on the surface.

Engineers also spent hours Tuesday on a seismic survey, creating a map of the rock under the sea floor to spot potential dangers, like gas pockets. It also provides a baseline to compare with later surveys during and after the test to see if the pressure on the well is causing underground problems.

The leak began after the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling platform exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers. As of Tuesday, the 84th day of the disaster, between 90.4 and 178.6 million gallons of oil had spewed into the Gulf.

[Argyle58]

A basic tensile strength calculation.......should take about ten minutes to run, re-run, and have reviewed. We're waiting, WHY???