Methane Seep Found Near Macondo #1

Update: Government incident commander Thad Allen, said Monday the "science folks" think the gas bubbles around the cap do not indicate "any threat to the well bore." Scientists studying the seep two miles from the well bore believe it a natural occurrence. So the well continues to be shut in. Now that the well is not flowing, BP is studying the possibility of a "static kill" or pumping mud down into the well forcing oil and gas back into the reservoir while it is capped. A previous attempt at a "top kill" while the well was out of control failed.

{19.07.10}Bad news from the oil spill front. BP shut in the blowout, but the enormous gas pressure involved--responsible for the explosion that destroyed the drilling platform and killed 11 workers [photo]--has found a way to vent. Forty-four's folks admitted a methane seep has been discovered near the shut in well. The seep may force the company to again allow crude to spew into the Gulf of Mexico. Pressure at the cap has not been as high as expected (6,778psi) leading science advisers to guess that there was either a leak somewhere else in the system or that enough oil and gas had already escaped to lower the well's pressure. The existence of a gas seep seems to provide an explanation. {5.07.10}Experts are concerned that the continued escape of methane gas which accelerates the crude/debris mix through the well's casing and piping, is increasing friction on possibly already weak joints, seals, and steel as a result of 85 days of unrestricted flow.  Pounding cavitations--like the water hammer effect in your home's plumbing only magnified-- can also cause the elaborate piping system to fail. Almost certainly the terrific explosion on April 20th affected the well head and well casing, perhaps shifting it in the well bore enough to cause leakage. Then there is the question of the geologic integrity of the reservoir itself. A Houston engineer who specializes in underwater operations and president of Radoil Inc, told AP that oil from the well could be leaking out underground and entering a geological void or pocket that may not be structurally able to contain it. Admiral Thad Allen, in charge of the government's crisis response has admitted to the press that such a nightmare scenario is possible. The relief wells are being drilled deep, but the oil layer lies at 18,360 feet, and if oil is escaping underground a relief well will not solve the problem. Currently, the deepest relief well is at 17,864 feet and four feet away from the Macondo bore. The back up relief well has stopped at 15,874 feet. In a word, we are not out of the deep yet.