BP Starts Test On Broken Well To See If It Can Be Sealed

15th Jul 2010 20:03

By Susan Daker Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES HOUSTON (Dow Jones)-BP PLC (BP, BP.LN) said Thursday afternoon it has begun a test on its broken well that could show whether a recently placed cap could halt the gushing of oil into the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The test will last at least six hours but could last up to two days, BP said in a news release. Two containment vessels that have been collecting oil from the well have ceased operations, the company said. "Although it cannot be assured, it is expected that no oil will be released to the ocean during the test," BP said in a statement. "Even if no oil is released during the test, this will not be an indication that oil and gas flow from the wellbore has been permanently stopped." The start of test has been eagerly awaited as BP worked around the clock for three months to contain the spill, which has already brought economic and environmental devastation to several coastal states. The test was originally scheduled to begin Tuesday but was delayed for further review and then by an equipment problem. The new cap was designed to increase the amount of oil that can be captured from the well, but the possibility has arisen that it could entirely shut the well in, retired U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said in a teleconference. It's still an "intermediate step," and the ultimate solution is stopping the spill with a relief well, Allen said. "Shut-in of the line was never the ultimate goal," Allen said. "But make no mistake, the No. 1 goal is to shut in the well and kill it at the source." BP has said the relief well could be finished by the end of July, while Allen estimated Thursday that it will be completed by mid-August. If the cap survives the 48-hour period, spill responders would then perform seismic testing to check the integrity of the well and the surrounding sea floor before deciding whether the cap can shut in the well, Allen said. "What we are trying to do is get physical evidence, because we don't know the condition of the wellbore," Allen said. Regardless of the determination on the well's fitness, BP said the cap's installation was an important step for spill responders working to prepare for an expected busy hurricane season. The new cap can allow containment vessels to more quickly disconnect from the system and flee a storm. In that event, there would be a free flow of oil from the well. However, if the cap can seal the well, spill responders can abandon the site knowing that oil should be contained. For the past several weeks, a more loosely fitting cap and the Q4000 vessel have managed to keep up to about 25,000 barrels of oil a day out of the Gulf. The new sealing cap system, plus additional measures, could allow the recovery of 60,000 barrels to 80,000 barrels a day by the end of the month, BP has said. On Wednesday, BP collected about 12,800 barrels of oil from the well, Wells said. The number was lower than usual because BP had to disconnect the two containment vessels, the Q4000 and Helix Producer, in order to begin procedures for the well test. However, once the test was delayed, those two ships were brought back online overnight and were processing at rate of about 22,500 barrels a day until the test started, BP said. -By Susan Daker, Dow Jones Newswires; 713-547-9208; [email protected] (END) Dow Jones Newswires July 15, 2010 15:03 ET (19:03 GMT)