# BP says the well is capped and no oil is leaking in the Gulf. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 15, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bp-says-the-well-is-capped-and-no-oil-is-leaking-in-the-gulf/546822 "2010-07-15T19:53:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bp-says-the-well-is-capped-and-no-oil-is-leaking-in-the-gulf/546822/1 "2010-07-15T19:53:03Z")
BP says the well cap has worked and plugged the well. They are showing pictures and it looks like it is slowly beginning to mist and a tiny stream appears to be coming out. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bp-says-the-well-is-capped-and-no-oil-is-leaking-in-the-gulf/546822/2 "2010-07-15T19:59:03Z")
Here’s hoping it works, but I won’t be trusting anything. This is a test and it’s not the end of sealing off the leak. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bp-says-the-well-is-capped-and-no-oil-is-leaking-in-the-gulf/546822/3 "2010-07-15T20:05:33Z")
And, the debate is…? ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bp-says-the-well-is-capped-and-no-oil-is-leaking-in-the-gulf/546822/4 "2010-07-15T20:09:51Z")
I knew someone would say that. But it hardly qualifies for mundane and pointless info. The pressure is building up inside the system and the point is to see if it can last when all the pressure builds up. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bp-says-the-well-is-capped-and-no-oil-is-leaking-in-the-gulf/546822/5 "2010-07-15T20:13:53Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > I knew someone would say that. But it hardly qualifies for mundane and pointless info. > The pressure is building up inside the system and the point is to see if it can last when all the pressure builds up. I would think the pressure inside the well would be maxed out almost immediately. Like a hose you turn off by shutting the sprayer nozzle reaches full pressure nearly immediately. I do not think these things just build and build and build. X-amount of pressure is forcing oil out of the earth and that shouldn’t change much. Just a guess on my part, I am no expert. I think what they worry about now is actually a _decrease_ in well pressure. If that happens it means oil is coming out somewhere else. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bp-says-the-well-is-capped-and-no-oil-is-leaking-in-the-gulf/546822/6 "2010-07-15T20:20:15Z")
You know what would be hilarious? If this cap works, but they continue with the relief well, just to be safe, but then somebody fucks up and there is an uncontrolled gusher from the relief well instead. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bp-says-the-well-is-capped-and-no-oil-is-leaking-in-the-gulf/546822/7 "2010-07-15T20:28:01Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I would think the pressure inside the well would be maxed out almost immediately. > > Like a hose you turn off by shutting the sprayer nozzle reaches full pressure nearly immediately. I do not think these things just build and build and build. X-amount of pressure is forcing oil out of the earth and that shouldn’t change much. > > Just a guess on my part, I am no expert. > > I think what they worry about now is actually a _decrease_ in well pressure. If that happens it means oil is coming out somewhere else. Nope according to BP. They are metering the pressure as it grows in several spots. It is not just cap pressure but there are points down the line that could blow. Logic to me would be once you plug it, the pressure would peak and stay there. But that is not what they are saying. They say 48 hours of monitoring is required before they get confident and they are still drilling the relief well. They will have to reopen the cap to bleed off the oil in the line, then they will refill the pipe line with mud. Then eventually cement. Still a long way to go. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bp-says-the-well-is-capped-and-no-oil-is-leaking-in-the-gulf/546822/8 "2010-07-15T20:45:27Z")
See? They fixed everything just fine. What was everyone worried about? ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bp-says-the-well-is-capped-and-no-oil-is-leaking-in-the-gulf/546822/9 "2010-07-15T21:40:01Z")
There is a thing called “water hammer” effect. You do NOT want to take a long pipe with a fast flowing liquid and shut of the flow immediately. You need to do it gradually. IF you do shut it off quickly, the peak pressure will be MANY times what you would “expect” it to be from a static pressure point of view. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bp-says-the-well-is-capped-and-no-oil-is-leaking-in-the-gulf/546822/10 "2010-07-15T21:41:19Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > See? They fixed everything just fine. What was everyone worried about? Yup, it only took them 3 months to install an object that should have been pre-planned in the first place. All they did was unbolt the flange and bolt on a new device. Would have been ever so nice if the new device was sitting in a warehouse gathering dust along with a boom system that could have isolated the oil at the source instead of chasing it around the planet on what amounts to a cat-herding expedition. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bp-says-the-well-is-capped-and-no-oil-is-leaking-in-the-gulf/546822/11 "2010-07-15T21:44:15Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > And, the debate is…? Can we hope it’s for real this time? ---
**Author:** ![Ruminator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Ruminator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruminator)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bp-says-the-well-is-capped-and-no-oil-is-leaking-in-the-gulf/546822/12 "2010-07-15T21:45:40Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > There is a thing called “water hammer” effect. Wow I learned something new. Every once in a while, my toilet tank makes a series of banging noises after shutting off. I guess “water hammer” was what I was hearing. Fascinating. Makes me wonder if the plumbing in the house was improperly built. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bp-says-the-well-is-capped-and-no-oil-is-leaking-in-the-gulf/546822/13 "2010-07-15T21:49:22Z")
> [@Ruminator](#): > > Wow I learned something new. Every once in a while, my toilet tank makes a series of banging noises after shutting off. I guess “water hammer” was what I was hearing. Fascinating. Makes me wonder if the plumbing in the house was improperly built. Did BP make it? ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bp-says-the-well-is-capped-and-no-oil-is-leaking-in-the-gulf/546822/14 "2010-07-15T21:50:03Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Yup, it only took them 3 months to install an object that should have been pre-planned in the first place. All they did was unbolt the flange and bolt on a new device. Would have been ever so nice if the new device was sitting in a warehouse gathering dust along with a boom system that could have isolated the oil at the source instead of chasing it around the planet on what amounts to a cat-herding expedition. Thats my biggest grip with pretty much everyone involved in this fiasco. Not that anyone is actually incompetent per se, but more so that nobody seems to have been remotely prepared or jumped to the “oh shit, fix it NOW, fuck the immediate costs” mode nearly as soon as they should have… ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bp-says-the-well-is-capped-and-no-oil-is-leaking-in-the-gulf/546822/15 "2010-07-15T21:55:56Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Thats my biggest grip with pretty much everyone involved in this fiasco. Not that anyone is actually incompetent per se, but more so that nobody seems to have been remotely prepared or jumped to the “oh shit, fix it NOW, fuck the immediate costs” mode nearly as soon as they should have… On this I think BP can not escape, they reported to the government that they would be able to deal even with this scenario… well they did, only 3 months later. The only good news is that I expect now that the solution that was found will be improved upon and be always ready to be used in a future case. The bad news is that I have the educated gut feeling that Blue Fin Tuna (And many other species) is a goner for several seasons in the Gulf of Mexico. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bp-says-the-well-is-capped-and-no-oil-is-leaking-in-the-gulf/546822/16 "2010-07-15T22:04:50Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > And, the debate is…? I realize this is not really a debate. If it doesn’t develop into one, I may move the thread to another forum. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bp-says-the-well-is-capped-and-no-oil-is-leaking-in-the-gulf/546822/17 "2010-07-15T22:13:06Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Thats my biggest grip with pretty much everyone involved in this fiasco. Not that anyone is actually incompetent per se, but more so that nobody seems to have been remotely prepared or jumped to the “oh shit, fix it NOW, fuck the immediate costs” mode nearly as soon as they should have… I’m guessing at this point so anyone is welcome to correct me but I believe the valve they attached was something they built (just as the other 2 were). I don’t know why they tried to use a circular clamping device instead of a new flange assembly which would have afforded the seal of the original riser/BOP connection. If all 3 assemblies were started at the same time then it was the build time that explains it all. The good thing here is that it doesn’t matter of the pressure is too much for the whole system because plan-B allows them to bring the oil to the surface where it can be skimmed off or burned. Today is a good thing in what is is otherwise a total mess. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bp-says-the-well-is-capped-and-no-oil-is-leaking-in-the-gulf/546822/18 "2010-07-15T22:17:08Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I realize this is not really a debate. If it doesn’t develop into one, I may move the thread to another forum. I didn’t see debate either but it did not seem to belong to pointless and mundane thread either. It has no home. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bp-says-the-well-is-capped-and-no-oil-is-leaking-in-the-gulf/546822/19 "2010-07-15T22:24:00Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Thats my biggest grip with pretty much everyone involved in this fiasco. Not that anyone is actually incompetent per se, but more so that nobody seems to have been remotely prepared or jumped to the “oh shit, fix it NOW, fuck the immediate costs” mode nearly as soon as they should have… It was not that they did not realize the dangers but that they cut costs and we all paid for it. We need to get the new agency to inspect the wells in existence. I think there are about 27,000 abandoned wells in the gulf. They need to be inspected. Because we did not do it on a continuing basis ,it will be a costly enterprise. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bp-says-the-well-is-capped-and-no-oil-is-leaking-in-the-gulf/546822/20 "2010-07-15T23:10:06Z")
> [@Ruminator](#): > > Wow I learned something new. Every once in a while, my toilet tank makes a series of banging noises after shutting off. I guess “water hammer” was what I was hearing. Fascinating. Makes me wonder if the plumbing in the house was improperly built. Yes it’s what you’re hearing, and :(:(☹ yes that means the plumbing was improperly built. Water hammer will damage stuff over time. Worry. ☹ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bp-says-the-well-is-capped-and-no-oil-is-leaking-in-the-gulf/546822.md?page=2)