Spill, baby spill: Experts fear the spill could spread to East Coast

[TurkeyWithaSunburn]

Drilling Process Attracts Scrutiny in Rig Explosion - WSJ.com

A 2007 study by three U.S. Minerals Management Service officials found that cementing was a factor in 18 of 39 well blowouts in the Gulf of Mexico over a 14-year period. That was the single largest factor, ahead of equipment failure and pipe failure.

Halliburton also was the cementer on a well that suffered a big blowout last August in the Timor Sea, off Australia. The rig there caught fire and a well leaked tens of thousands of barrels of oil over 10 weeks before it was shut down. The investigation is continuing; Halliburton declined to comment on it.

Elmer P. Danenberger, who had recently retired as head of regulatory affairs for the U.S. Minerals Management Service, told the Australian commission looking into the blowout that a poor cement job was probably the reason oil and natural gas gushed out of control.

With as many smart people working in the industry you'd think they'd be able to develop better techniques and cement. Since that seems to be a weak point. We'll know in a few years the ultimate cause of the blow out, those investigations into things take time.

 

[B_talltpaguy]

Yikes...


Watch this video of computer projections of NE Gulf water currents, and how they will direct the oil spill over the next 3 days...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxgbvDcmrYQ&

 

[TurkeyWithaSunburn]

HAIR to the rescue!!! The hair on your head, not HAIR the musical.

Hair stuffed into pantyhose and left to float out there to soak up oil. Shows a small bit about the absorbing properties. They dump oil into a container and throw in the hairball dohicky, and the water is cleaned of the vast majority of the oil.

Hair clippings being used in oil cleanup
May 4: In Florida, salons are gathering hair clippings to help with the Gulf oil spill cleanup. WBBH's Sarah Hollenbeck reports.
msnbc.com Video Player

 

[B_talltpaguy]

I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow... wonder if they'll bag it up? lol...

But seriously, I'll probably also sign up for cleanup duty if it heads this way, which it is expected to, though nobody seems too sure on the timing. It's not like I work full time or anything, and school doesn't start for a while yet.

 

[justasimpleguy]

Just so's you know, if the pipe and remaining wellhead break up, the oil flow might increase by an order of magnitude. Ready for some end times type shit?

 

[dandelion]

But seriously, I'll probably also sign up for cleanup duty if it heads this way, which it is expected to, though nobody seems too sure on the timing. It's not like I work full time or anything, and school doesn't start for a while yet.

I wish you well, but evidence on all spills to date is that cleanup doesnt work. Washing seagulls doesnt do them any good, nor does spraying extra chemicals on ground soaked in oil in an attempt to clean it. The lesson of past spills is you have to accept it and wait for it to clear naturally. Crude oil is a natural product. Sure, try to keep it off the beaches, but the weather is capricious and tends to win. The lesson so far is its better to take the cleanup money and move house until nature does its thing. Oh, and cross your fingers. As someone else posted, enjoy the beach while you can, take some nice pictures and catch some tuna before it gets poisoned.

 

[B_talltpaguy]

I wish you well, but evidence on all spills to date is that cleanup doesnt work. Washing seagulls doesnt do them any good, nor does spraying extra chemicals on ground soaked in oil in an attempt to clean it. The lesson of past spills is you have to accept it and wait for it to clear naturally. Crude oil is a natural product. Sure, try to keep it off the beaches, but the weather is capricious and tends to win. The lesson so far is its better to take the cleanup money and move house until nature does its thing. Oh, and cross your fingers. As someone else posted, enjoy the beach while you can, take some nice pictures and catch some tuna before it gets poisoned.

I hear ya, but you don't quite understand what I mean... I'm not a bird washer or whatever. I've done security work before when I was in school, and have done disaster relief several times in recent years after hurricanes... It's my intention to see if there are security jobs I can do, free or paid (trust me, there will be)... I normally 'work' from home (it's not really work) and set my own schedule, so I've got the time to do it, and it's something that interests me.