Deepwater Horizon: Injection test leading to static kill due in next few hours
Aug. 2, 2010
The Q4000 is in the process of turning around to pump materials downhole rather than receive production, said Admiral Thad Allen, national incident commander at the BP Macondo spill in the Gulf of Mexico, at a press conference this afternoon.
Offshore staff
NEW ORLEANS – The Q4000 is in the process of turning around to pump materials downhole rather than receive production, said Admiral Thad Allen, national incident commander at the BP Macondo spill in the Gulf of Mexico, at a press conference this afternoon. Once all the hardware has been tested, the actual injection test will begin, and that is expected within the next few hours. The results of the injection test will set the stage for start of the static kill, Allen said.
Results of the injection test will provide data to help establish the pump rates while monitoring the pressure in the capping stack at no more than 8,000 psi.
The static kill plans, pending results of the injection tests, calls for pumping 13.2 ppg mud starting a 1 bbl/min and rising to 2 bbl/min. The results of the static kill and the timing will depend upon where the oil is and the amount of space in the well that has to be filled with mud. Allen said the static kill itself is expected to last somewhere between 33 and 61 hours.
At that point, the step of completing the relief well remains. Casing in place in the hole at the Development Driller IIIrig, but the precise plans and timing will depend upon what is learned during the injection tests and static kill.
