US Government: BP Continuing Gulf Well Test

16th Jul 2010 22:43

By Cassandra Sweet Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES The U.S. government has told BP PLC (BP, BP.LN) to continue testing a new cap on the broken oil well in the Gulf of Mexico to see if the system can stop an oil leak that has fouled Gulf waters and beaches, the government's top official overseeing the oil spill said Friday. Since the test began a little more than 24 hours ago, the pressure in the capped well has been steadily rising, as BP and government scientists had hoped, said U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the federal response commander. The current level of pressure in the well, about 6,700 pounds per square inch, and the fact that no oil is currently leaking from the well, are positive signs that the well is not leaking, but they're not enough to conclude that the well is in great shape and that no leaks are possible, Allen said. The current pressure reading is "generally good news," Allen said, speaking during a teleconference. But "there is enough uncertainty about the meaning of what the pressure is" to prompt government scientists to find out more about the conditions of the well and the sea floor, he said. Before the well was capped Thursday, scientists estimated that between 35,000 and 60,000 barrels of oil were flowing into the Gulf from the broken well each day. Of that amount, BP managed to collect up to about 25,000 barrels of oil a day using a more loosely fitting cap. If the pressure in the capped well exceeds 7,500 pounds per square inch, that would indicate that the well is in good shape and leaks are unlikely, Allen said. If the pressure in the well does not rise above 7,500 pounds a square inch, it could mean that hydrocarbons are escaping either from the well or from somewhere else along the sea floor, or that the underground oil reservoir has been depleted by the three-month-long oil leak, Allen said. At this point, it's hard to determine the cause of the current pressure reading and more testing is needed, he said. Officials have said they would like to see a reading of more than 8,000 pounds per square inch. Data from recent seismic testing indicates that the sea floor remains intact, with no leaks, Allen said. But the government has ordered more thorough and rigorous tests to ensure there are no leaks, he said. In addition to more thorough seismic testing, to ensure that there are no ruptures in the sea floor where oil could be leaking out, a government ship will use acoustic testing to determine whether any methane gas might be leaking out of the well head, or elsewhere along the sea floor, Allen said. Allen reiterated that the new cap is merely a temporary fix, originally intended to improve oil collection rather than seal the well, and that the only way to permanently plug the well is for BP to complete a relief well. BP has suspended drilling for the relief well pending completion of the well integrity test. The company has said it expects to finish the new well by the end of the month. -By Cassandra Sweet, Dow Jones Newswires; 415-439-6468; [email protected] (END) Dow Jones Newswires July 16, 2010 17:43 ET (21:43 GMT)