A Sea in Flames by Carl Safina - Excerpt

8/7/2019 A Sea in Flames by Carl Safina - Excerpt

1/33


2/33
http://www.randomhouse.com/crownhttp://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-sea-in-flames/id422540032?mt=11http://books.google.com/ebooks?as_brr=5&q=9780307887351http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780307887351http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?defaultSearchView=List&LogData=%5Bsearch%3A+8%2Cparse%3A+51%5D&cm_mmc=CJ-_-2193956-_-2665379-_-88x31+logo&type=1&searchData={productId%3Anull%2Csku%3Anull%2Ctype%3A1%2Csort%3Anull%2CcurrPage%3A1%2CresultsPerPage%3A25%2CsimpleSearch%3Afalse%2Cnavigation%3A5185%2CmoreValue%3Anull%2CcoverView%3Afalse%2Curl%3Arpp%3D25%26view%3D2%26type%3D1%26page%3D1%26kids%3Dfalse%26nav%3D5185%26simple%3Dfalse%26sku%3D9780307887351%2Cterms%3A{sku%3D9780307887351}}&storeId=13551&catalogId=10001&sku=0307887359&ddkey=http:SearchResults&cmpid=pub-rh-1117http://search.barnesandnoble.com/A-Sea-in-Flames/Carl-Safina/e/9780307887351?afsrc=1&isbsrc=Y&r=1http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307887359?ie=UTF8&tag=randohouseinc2-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0307887359


3/33


4/33

Preface

Know Before You Go

Crucial mistakes, disasrous consquncs, h wanss o powr,unprpardnss and ovrracion, h qui dignit o vryday h-

ros. T 2010 Gul o Mxico blowou brough mor han oil o h

surac.

Tis is no jus a rcord o a chnological vn. Is also a chron-

icl o a sason o anguish and panic, dep uncrainis, and hmoional opography o h blowou. I is h rcord o an vn un-

olding, a synhsis o prsonal xprinc, nws, rumors, and h rap-

idly shifing prspcivs abou how bad hings wrand how bad

hy wr no.

Tr ar roughly hre pars o his vn, and o his boo: wha

causd his paricular wll o blow ou; h varid chnological, bio-

logical, and moional rsponss during h monhs h oil was ow-ing; and a lil mor calmnss, clarit, and insigh afr h ow o oil

was soppd.

Iv chosn o convy my imprssions as hy occurrd ovr a sason

ha was inns, chaoic, and semingly inrminabl. In h urmoil,

i was asy o orm h wrong imprssions and ollow blind allys. And

I did.Ovr h monhs, inormaion and undrsanding improvd sig-


5/33

x PREFACE

Tis boo is no a dniiv rais; is a porrai. T sory will

coninu unurling. Som aspcs, wll nvr ully undrsand.

In rying my bs o g i righ, I am sur ha narly all o wha

Iv wrin is rasonabl, mos o i is ru, and som o i is wrong. Is

no lss han ha, and no mor.

Is asy o criiciz popl in charg. Is much hardr o b h

prson in charg. I was angry a h Coas Guard or wes, unil I

bgan o raliz ha is abilit o rspond was largly dicad by h

laws ha connd i. I offi cials such as Admiral Tad Alln ranld

m a ims, i may say mor abou m han abou hm. Bu i r-

mains par o h porrai o his whol vn.

In ruh, such popl dsrv no jus our admiraion bu also a

lil slac. During h blowou, prcion wasn an availabl opion.

Iv lf my rs imprssions in plac o show how my prcpions

changd as my iniial ragand I l plnt o ragsubsidd. Ad-

miral Alln, as h mos visibl dral offi cial and h man in charg,

gs h brun o my xaspraion. Bu h nvr ully dsrvd i. I

could no hav don h job h did.Admiral Alln, Dr. Jan Lubchnco, and ohrs in our govrnmn

gav us hir vry bs undr monhs o inns prssur, havy r-

sponsibilit, and public scruiny. Ty wr doing a narly impossibl

job on bhal o us all. I didn always apprcia ha righ away, sp-

cially during my summr ravls hrough h Gul rgion, whn I was

ofn boh angry and gri-sricn. In ruh, hy dsrv our hans

and prais.Bu is no all abou hm. Is abou us. W all conribud o his

vn, and wr all rappd in h sam siuaion. W all us oo much

gasolin and oil, bcaus wv paind ourslvs ino a cornr whn

i coms o nrgy.

For clarit I hav lighly cland up or slighly condnsd som o h

vrbaim simony and quos. Vrbal xchangs during h hourslading up o and including h iniial disasr on h drilling rig driv


6/33

PREFACE xi

ar subjc o h og o crisis, som simony conics; w may nvr

now how o rsolv hos conradicory rcollcions.

In h nd, his is a chronicl o a summr o painand hop. Hop

ha h ull ponial o his caasroph would no marializ, hop

ha h harm don would hal asr han ard, and hop ha vn

i w didn suffr h absolu wors, wd sill larn h big lsson

hr.

W may hav gon o ou o hre. Tas no good nough. B-

caus: hrll b a nx im.

Carl Sana

Sony Broo, Nw Yor

Novmbr 2010


7/33

P A R T O N E

DISASER CH AIN


8/33

BLOWOUT!

April 20, 2010. Tough a bi imprcis, h im, approximaly :50.., mars h nd o nowing much prcisly. A oaing machinry

sysm roughly h siz o a ort-sory hol has or monhs ben drill-

ing ino h saoor in h Gul o Mxico. Is craors hav namd

h dril ling rig h Depwar Horizon.

Oil gian BP has conracd h Depwar Horizons ownr,ransocan, and various companis and crws o drill dep ino h

saoor ort-odd mils souhas o h Louisiana coas. T arg

has also ben namd: hy call i h Macondo ormaion. T gambl

is on a volum o crud oil Blivd Proabl.

Giving h arg a nam hlps pull i ino our ralm o undr-

sanding. Bu by doing so w ris ailing o undrsand is naur. I

is a ho, highly prssurizd layr o prolum hydrocarbonsoil andmhanpn up and pacd away, undisurbd, insid h arh or

many millions o yars.

T worr crws hav sruc hir arg. Bu h Big Paybac

will cu boh ways. T arg is abou o sri bac.

A churning drill bi sn om a world o ligh and warmh and living

bings. Mor han hre mils undr h sa surac, mor han o

mils undr h saoor. Ernal darnss. Unimaginabl prssur.T drill bi has m a gas poc. Ta iny pinpric. Ta prssur.


9/33

4 CAR L SAFINA

h wll. Rushing up h pip. Gas xpanding li crazy. Trough h

opn gas on h saoor. On mor mil o h sa surac.

T bings abov ar xprincing som diffi cult managing i. A

varit o popl ac a sris o varid dcisions. Ty don ma all

h righ ons.

Explosion.

Firball.

Dsroyd: Elvn mn. Crad: Nin widows. wnt-on ahr-

lss ids, including on wholl soon b born. Svnen injurd. On

hundrd and fen surviv wih pics o h puzzl lodgd in hir

hads. Only h rig rss in pac, on mil down. Only h bginning.

Blowou. Gushr. Wild wll. Across h whol rgion, h naural

sysms shuddr. Monhs o conrol i. Yars o g ovr i. Human

livs changd by h hundrds o housands. Effcs ha rippl across

h counry, h hmisphr, h world. Imprc judgmn a sa and

in offi cs in Houson, prhaps orgivabl. Inadqua saguards, pr-

haps unorgivabl. No amoun o mony nough. Byond Payabl.

y

Deepwater exploration had alrady com o ag whn, in 200, BP

lasd h mil-dep Macondo prospc No. 252 or $34 million. By

1 only o dozn xploraory wlls had ben drilld in war depr

han 5,000 e in h Gul o Mxico. A dcad lar, ha numbr

was narly hre hundrd.Wih a plaorm biggr han a ooball ld, h Depwar Hori-

zon was insurd or ovr hal a billion dollars. T rig cos $350 million

and ros 37 e om boom o op. On h rig wr 126 worrs;

7 wr ransocan mployes, 6 wr BP mployes, and 41 wr

subconracors o rms li Halliburon and M-I Swaco. Non o h

Depwar Horizons crw had ben sriously injurd in svn yars.

Opraions bgan a Macondo 252 using ransocans drilling pla-


10/33

A SEA IN FLAMES 5

souhas o h nars Louisiana shor and du souh o Mobil,

Alabama. As h lsse, BP did h majorit o h dsign wor or

h wll, bu uilizd conracors or h dril ling opraion. Rig ownr

ransocan was h lad drillr. Halliburonormrly hadd by

Dic Chny, bor h bcam vic prsidn o h Unid Sas

undr Gorg W. Bushwas hird or cmning srvics. Ohr con-

racors prormd ohr spcializd wor.

T iniial cos sima or h wll was approximaly $100 mil-

lion. T wor cos BP abou $1 million pr day.

Tyd drilld abou 4,000 e down whn, on Novmbr ,

200, Hurrican Ida damagd Marianas so svrly ha h rig had

o b owd o h shipyard. Drilling rsumd on Fbruary 6, 2010,

wih BP having swichd o ransocans Depwar Horizon rig.

By la April, h wll would b abou $5 million ovr budg.

Bing a depwar wll drillrwhas i li? o simpli, imagin

pushing a pncil ino h soil. Pull ou h pncil. Slid a drining

sraw ino ha hol o ep i opn. Now, a lil mor complx: yourpncil is ippd no wih a lad poin bu wih a drilling bi. You hav a

s o pncils, ach a lil narrowr han h las, ach a lil longr.

You hav a s o drining sraws, ach also narrowr. You us h

as pncil rs, ma h hol, pull i ou, hn us h nx a-

s. And so on. Tis is how you ma h hol depr. A h scal o

pncils-as-drills, your going down abou 10 e, and h wor is

soon ou o sigh. As you push and rmov h pncils, you slid onsraw hrough anohr, ino h depning hol. You hav a depning,

apring hol lind wih scions o drining sraw, wih lil spacs

ben h hol and ach sraw, and ben h scions o sraw.

You hav o sal all hos spacs, ma i, in ffc, on apring ub,

absoluly igh.

And hrs why: h las, narrows sraw pos hrough h lid

o a (vry big) pop bol wih los o soda conaining gas undr r-mndous prssur. As long as h lid says inac and igh, hrs


11/33

6 CAR L SAFINA

drin o ha pop, as i hyr addicd o i, bcaus hir livs d-

pnd on i. Tyr in a bi o a hurry. Bu you hav o ry o ignor

hm whil your painsaingly woring hs pncils and sraws.

And youd br ep your ngr on h op o h sraw, or your

going o hav a big mss. And youd br sal hos spacs ben

scions o sraw as you go down, or your going o hav a big mss

whn you po hrough ha lid. And bor you a your ngr off

h op o h sraw, youd br b rady o conrol all ha zz and

drin all ha pop, bcaus is coming up ha sraw. And i, afr

poing a hol in his lid has ben sald or millions o yars, you

dcid you wan o sav h soda or lar, hn youd bryoud

brhav a way o soppr ha sraw bor you a your ngr

off. And youd br hav a way o bloc ha sraw i h soppr

sars laing and h whol hing sars o zz. I i sars o zz

unconrollably, and you can rgain conrol, you can g hur; popl

can di.

T ral dails bggar h imaginaion o whas humanly and

chnologically possibl. Rig oor o saoor a h wll si: 5,000e o war, a lil undr on mil. Saoor o h boom o h wll:

abou 13,360 eo and a hal mils o drilling ino h sabd

sdimns. A oal o 1,360 e om sa surac o wll boom, jus

undr hre and a hal mils.

Equally amazing as how dep, is how narrow. A h saooraop

a wll 2.5 mils longh op casing is only 36 inchs across. A hboom is jus 7 inchs. I you gur ha h avrag diamr o h

casing is abou 1 inchs, is li a pncil-widh hol 14 e dep.

Nin drill bis, ach progrssivly smallr, dig h wll. T wlls vr-

ical high gs lind wih prociv mal casings ha, collcivly,

lscop down is ull lngh. A inrvals, lscoping ub o cas-

ing gs slid ino h wll hol. T uppr casing inrval is abou 300

e long. Som o h lowr ons, lss han a oo across, ar 2,000e long. T upprmos nd o ach casing will hav a ar mouh,


12/33

A SEA IN FLAMES 7

ha conguraion prmann wih your cmning jobs. T casings

and drill pips ar sord on racs, awaiing us. Casings ar mad

in lnghs ranging om 25 o 45 e; h drill pip usually coms in

30-oo joins. Ty ar sacd in h pip racing sysm. You as-

smbl hre a a im and drop approximaly 0 e in, and hn

rpa. Whn you g rady o pu h casing in, you pull all h drill

pip ou. Rig worrs also rmov h drill pip om h hol vry

im h drill bi gs worn and neds changing or whn som acivit

rquirs an opn hol. Pulling h nir drill sring om h hol is

calld maing a rip. Maing a rip o 10,000 e may a as long

as n or lv hours. Whn you wan o sar drilling som mor, you

hav o rassmbl h drill pip and snd i down.

On drillrs minds a all ims is h ned o conrol h gas prs-

sur and prvn gas om laing up ben h ousid o h cas-

ings and h roc sids o h wll. A ach poin whr h casing

diamr changs, h wll drillrs mus push cmn ben h cas-

ings and h bdroc wall o h wll. Tis cmns h casings o h

wll wall. I conrols prssur and liminas spac.Drillrs coninually circula a varit o aricial high-dnsit liq-

uid displacmns or drilling uids, calld mud, ben h drill rig

and h wll. T circulaing uid is sn down h drill pip. I causs

h drill bi o roa, hn lavs h drill bi and coms up o h

surac, carrying h roc and sand ha h drill bi has ground loos.

Bcaus h wll is mils dep, h uid cras a mils-high column o

havy liquid. (T drilling uid is havir han war. Imagin lling abuc wih war and lifing i; hn imagin ha h buc is hre

mils all. Is havy.) Ta pus normous downward prssur on h

nir wll bor. As h drill digs depr, h drilling mud ormula-

ion is mad havir o nuraliz h highr prssurs in h depn-

ing dphs. Bu ha havir uid can xr so much prssur on h

shallowr rachs o h wll (whr h ambin prssur is lss) ha

i can acur h roc, damag h wll, sep away, and b los inoh roc and sand. Sel casings can proc war scions o roc


13/33

8 CAR L SAFINA

Bcaus hings ail and accidns happn, a 50-oo-high sac o

valvs sis on op o h wll on h saoor. Calld a blowou pr-

vnr, i is hr o sop h unconrolld rlas o oil and gas whn

hings go wrong in a wll. I somhing gos sriously wrong blow, h

valvs pinch closd, conaining h prssur. T blowou prvnr is

rlid on as h nal ail-sa.

Dsigns vary. Tis rig had a 300-on blowou prvnr manu-

acurd by Camron Inrnaional. A blowou prvnrs svral

shuoff sysms may includ annulars, rubbr aprurs ha can

clos around any pip or on hmslvs; variabl bor rams, which

can sal rubbr-ippd sel blocs around a drill pip i gas or oil

is coming up ousid i; casing shar rams or supr shar rams,

dsignd o cu hrough casing or ohr quipmn; and blind shar

rams, dsignd o cu hrough a drill pip and sal h wll. Blind

shar rams ar h wll-conrol mchanism o las rsor. Tough

ofn dsignd wih rdundan quipmn and conrols, blowou pr-

vnrs can ail. On occasion, hy hav. Nihr casing shar rams

nor blind shar rams ar dsignd o cu hrough hic-walld joinconncions ben scions o drill pip. Such joins may a up

as much as 10 prcn o a pips lngh. So having rdundan shar

rams nsurs ha hr is always on shar ram ha is no alignd

wih a ool join.

T drilling uid is h primary soppr or h whol wll. I your

going o rmov ha soppr, youd br hav somhing ls o hold

h prssur. Usually, ha somhing ls is svral hundrd e o c-mn. On h nigh o h xplosion, as rig worrs wr prparing o

sal h wll or lar us, drillrs wr old o rmov h drilling uid

and rplac i wih plain sawarin ssnc, o pull ou h soppr.

T cmn did no hold. And in h criical momn, h blowou pr-

vnr aild. T consqun gas blas was h blowou.

Tas wha wn wrong. Bu so many hings had gon wrong b-

or h blowou ha assisan wll drillr Sv Curis had nicnamdi h wll om hll. Curis, hirt-nin, a marrid ahr o o


14/33

A SEA IN FLAMES 9

y

Right from h sarbginning wih Hurrican Ida orcing h

Marianas rig off h wll locaionvarious hings didn proced as

plannd, or sruc popl as risk.

T Depwar Horizon, buil a a cos o $350 million, was nw

in Fbruary 2001. In Spmbr 200, i had drilld h deps oil

wll in hisoryovr 35,000 e depin h Gul o Mxicos ibr

Fild.

I was a world-class rig, bu i was almos n yars old. T won-

drul high-ch gadgs ha wr sa o h ar in 2001 did no al-

ways uncion as wll in 2010. Equipmn was ging dad. Old pars

didn always wor wih nw innovaions. Manuacurrs changd

produc lins. Somims hy had o nd a diffrn company o ma

a par om scrach.

T world has changd a lo sinc h rig was buil. So has sof-

war. Mor 3-D, a lo mor graphics. Drillrs si in a small room andus compur screns o wach y indicaors. Dph o h bi, prs-

sur on h pip, ows in, ows ou. Bu on his job, h sofwar r-

padly hi glichs. Compurs oz. Daa didn upda. Somims

worrs go wha hy calld h blu scren o dah. In March and

April 2010, audis by mariim ris managrs Lloyds Rgisr Group

idnid mor han o dozn componns and sysms on h rig in

bad or poor condiion, and ound som worrs dismayd abousat pracics and aring rprisals i hy rpord misas.

Ris is par o li. And is par o drilling. Y drilling culur has

changd, wih much grar mphasis on sat han in h pas. Many

popl sill woring, howvr, cam up h rans in a ris-pron,

cowboy oil pach culur. A ind o min who word h Gul o

Mxico oil ld in h 170s says, I was clar o m ha I was wayundrqualid or wha I was doing. Sat didn g you promod.


15/33

10 CARL SAFINA

lons o disl ul in nt-v minus, hyd rahr you disconnc

in a big hurry and spill fy gallons across h dc han a an xra

hre minus o do i sa and clan. Id acually g ylld a or suff

li ha. Anohr hing ha was clar: i you could simply rad or

wri, you could pr much run h show. Ty acually gav oral

xams o worrs who couldn rad. I was sill a id, bu pr soon

I was pu in charg o a supply boa bcaus I could rad and wri.

Ta was h culur hn. Anohr ind, now a ug capain, says,

Nvr in h our yars I word h rig did I har anyon say, Ls

wai or br sa condiions. W wr always draggd ino siuaions

w didn wan o b in, doing hings I didn hin wr sa. Now is

a lo br. I usd o b h Wild Ws ou hr.

Whn you pump drilling uid down h wll, i coms ou h boom

o h drill pip and circulas up ben h drill pip and h wall

o h wll, and coms bac o you. For vry barrl o drilling uid

you push down, youd br g a barrl bac. I you g morhas

rally bad, bcaus gas and oil ar coming up in your uid. I you glsshas rally bad, oo. Drillrs call i los rurns. I mans h

rurning uid has los som o is volum bcaus uid is laing ino

h roc and sand o h wlls walls, somims badly. Somims

hr ar acurs in h roc and h uids going hr. Whn is

laing li ha, you can mainain h righ prssur in h wll o

amp down h prssur o oil and gas ha wans o com up om

blow.In a March 2010 incidn, h rig los all o is drilling uid, ovr

3,000 barrls, hrough las ino h surrounding roc and sand or-

maion ino which hy wr drilling.

BPs onshor suprvisor or his projc, John Guid, lar sid,

W go o a dph o 1,260 e, and all o a suddn w jus los

compl rurns.BPs snior dsign nginer, Mar Ha, was qusiond on his


16/33

A SEA IN FLAMES 11

Q: Now, los rurns, wha dos ha man in plain vryday

English?

Ha: Whil dril ling ha hol scion w los ovr 3,000 barrls

o mud.

Tre housand barrls is a lo o barrls. A ovr $250 pr barrl

or synhic oil-basd mud, has $750,000.

A high-ris prgnancy is on running a highr han normal ris or

complicaions. A woman wih a high-ris prgnancy neds closr

monioring, mor visis wih hr primary halh-car providr, and

mor carul ss o monior h siuaion. I BP can b calld h

birh parn, his wll was a high-ris prgnancy.

Svral ims, h wll slappd bac wih hazardous gas blchs

calld ics, anohr indicaion ha h dep pool o hydrocarbons

did no apprcia bing rousd om is long slep.

A around 12,000 e, h drill bi go suc in roc. T crw

was orcd o cu h pip, abandon h high-ch bi, and prorm a

im-consuming and cosly sidrac procdur around i o coninuwih h wll. T dlays cos a we and ld o a budg add-on o $27

million.

T wor had alln ort-hre days bhind schdul, a roughly

$1 million a day in coss. A a sat meing, h crw was inormd

ha hyd los abou $25 million in hardwar and drilling uid. No

rally sat inormaion. Mor prssur o hurry.

High-ris prgnancy, addd complicaions. On April , 2010, BP had

nishd drilling h las scion o h wll. T nal scion o h

wll bor xndd o a dph o 1,360 e blow sa lvl, which

was 1,12 e blow h casing ha had prviously ben insrd ino

h wll.

A his poin, BP had o implmn an imporan wll-dsign d-

cision: how o scur h nal 1,200 or so e and, or vnual x-racion o h prolum, wha ind o producion casing worrs


17/33

12 CARL SAFINA

involvd hanging a sel ub calld a linr om h boom o h

prvious casing alrady in h wll. T ohr opion involvd running

on long sring o sel casing om h saoor all h way down o h

boom o h wll. T singl long sring dsign would sav boh im

(abou hre days) and mony.

BP chos h long sring. A BP documn calld h long sring h

bs conomic cas. And hough offi cials insis ha mony was no

a acor in hir dcisions, doing i diffrnly would hav cos $7 o

$10 million mor.

BPs David Sims lar sid, Cos is a acor in a lo o dcisions

bu i is nvr pu bor sat. Is no a dciding acor.

Sims was John Guids suprvisor. Guid dscribd h long sring

dsign as a win-win siuaion, adding ha i happnd o b a good

conomic dcision as wll.

Guid insisd ha non o hs dcisions wr don or mony.

Q: Wih vry dcision, didn BP rduc h cos o h projc?

Guid: All h dcisions wr basd on long-rm wll-bor

ingrit.Q: I asd you abou h cos o h projc. Didn ach o hs

dcisions rduc h cos, o BP, o his projc?

Guid: Cos was no a acor.

Q: I didn as i i was a acor. I asd i i rducd h cos. Is

a ac qusion, sir. Did i no rduc h cos, in ach cas?

Guid: All I was concrnd abou was long-rm wll-bor

ingrit.Q: I jus wan o now i doing all hs dcisions savd his com-

pany mony.

Guid: No, i did no.

Q: All righ; wha didn sav you mony?

Silnc.

Q: Which o hs dcisions ha you mad drov up h cos o

h projc, as opposd o saving BP mony? Can you hin o any?Guid: Iv alrady answrd h qusion.


18/33

A SEA IN FLAMES 13

Guid: Ts dcisions wr no basd on saving BP mony. Ty

wr basd on long-rm wll-bor ingrit.

Som popl calld h long sring dsign h risir o o op-

ions. Grg McCormac, dircor o h Univrsit o xas a Aus-

ins Prolum Exnsion Srvic, calls i wihou a doub a risir

way o go.

Bu ohrs disagre. Each o h o possibl wll casing dsigns

rprsnd crain ris rad-offs. On calld or cmn around

casing scions a various wll dphs, providing barrirs o any oil

owing up in h spac ben h roc and casing. T ohr calld

or casing scions samlssly conncd om op o boom wih no

ousid barrirs xcp h considrabl boom cmn. Invsigaors

would lar ocus lasrs on his aspc o h wll dsign or wes

afr h wll blw. T cos savings ld many o bliv ha his was

a cu cornr ha rsuld in h blowou. Monhs lar, howvr, i

bcam clar ha his dcision was no a dirc caus o h disasr.

Final hours. In h rnal darnss o h dep sa, h wll is dug,nishd. All has nedd: jus sal h wll and disconnc. T plan

was or a diffrn rig o com a som lar da and pump h oil

or sal.

A BPs onshor Houson offi c, John Guid is BPs ovrall projc

managr or his wll. H has ben wih BP or n yars, has ovrsen

mor han o dozn wlls. Mar Ha is BPs snior dsign nginer.

Wih nt-hre yars a BP, Ha crad much o h dsign orhis wll. Brian Morl, a BP dsign nginer involvd in many o h

y meings and procdurs in h nal days, splis his im ben

Houson and h rig. Ou on h drilling rig isl, BPs suprvisors,

ild wll si ladrs, ar ofn calld h company mn. Ty

ovrse h conracors. Bcaus a drilling rig opras nt-our

hours a day, BP has o wll si ladrs aboard, woring lv-hour

shifs: Don Vidrin and Bob Kaluza. Vidrin is in his sixis. Kaluzain his fis. Vidrin has ben wih h rig or a whil. Kaluza is nw.


19/33

14 CARL SAFINA

sl, rig ownr ransocan has o spara ladrship rols. Whn

moving, h rig is undr h auhorit o h capain; whn saionary

a h wll si, an offshor insallaion managr, or OIM, is in charg.

Jimmy Harrll, OIM, managd h drilling. Hd ben wih rans-

ocan sinc 17 and on h Depwar Horizon sinc 2003. Cur

Kucha was h Depwar Horizons capain.

Managrs play an imporan par in h dcision procss, bu h

drilling am xcus h plan. A h op o h drilling prsonnl

char ar h ool pushr, who ovrses all pars o h drilling pro-

css, and h drillr, who sis in a high-ch, glass-panld conrol

room calld h drillrs shac and lads h acual wor. Many po-

pl wor undr h dircion o h ool pushr and drillr.

On dut on h vning o April 20 wr ransocans ool pushr

Jason Andrson and drillr Dwy Rv. Tirt-v yars old, Jason

had word on h Horizon sinc i launchd, in 2001, and was highly

rspcd by his crwmas. A hom bor h xplosion, Jason had

ben concrnd abou puing his affairs in ordr. H wro a will and

gav his wi, Shlly, insrucions abou hings o do i anyhing wro happn o him. Jason old his ahr ha BP was pushing h rig

opraors o sped up h drilling. In lphon calls om h rig b-

or h xplosion, Jason old Shlly h could no al abou his con-

crns bcaus h walls wr oo hin, bu ha h would ll hr

abou hm lar, whn h go hom. Jason had jus ben promod o

snior ool pushr. H had ben du o lav or his nw pos aboard

h Discovrr Spiri on April 14, bu was prsuadd o say aboardh Depwar Horizon or on mor we. H was schduld o b

hlicoprd o his nw job a 7:00 .. on April 21. By hn, h had

did in h xplosions and h rig was an inrno.

A h closing o a wll, i migh sem youd wan h am mmbrs

mos amiliar wih h wll and on anohr o b prsn. Bu ap-

proaching h criical juncur o closing up h wll hyd ben drill-ing or monhs, on o BPs company mn, wih hirt-hre yars o


20/33

A SEA IN FLAMES 15

daory biannual wll-conrol cricaion class. Jus our days bor

h xplosion, his rplacmn, Bob Kaluza, appard on h rig. A

Wll Sre Journl aricl said o Kaluza, His xprinc was largly

in land drilling, and h old invsigaors h was on h rig o larn

abou dep war, according o Coas Guard nos o an inrviw

wih him. W don hav a br el or Kaluza bcaus h has xr-

cisd his Fifh Amndmn righ no o provid simony ha could

incrimina himsl.

ransocans onshor managr rsponsibl or h Horizon, Paul

Johnson, sid ha h was roubld by h iming in BPs swich o

wll si ladrs. I raisd my concrns, h nod. I challngd BP on

h dcision. W didn now who his gnlman was. I wasn ma-

ing any assumpions on him, I jusI hard h com om a plaorm,

so I was curious abou his depwar xprinc in a criical phas o

h wll. Ty inormd m ha Mr. Kaluza was a vry xprincd,

vry compn wll si ladr, and i wouldn b a concrn.

Kaluza showd a ndncy oward appropria cauion, bu h simplac ha h was nw semd o g in h way. A a criical juncur,

Kaluza was uncrain nough abou a crucial procdur calld a ng-

aiv prssur s ha h sough ou Lo Lindnr, a drilling uid

spcialis wih h company M-I Swaco. Lindnr, whod word on

h rig or ovr our yars, was in charg o h diffrn tps o uids

usd during h ngaiv s, an imporan rol.

Mr. Bob Kaluza calld m o his offi c, Lindnr sid. Hwand o go ovr h mhod. I briy xplaind o him how h rig

had ben conducing hir ngaiv ss and h jus wand. Lind-

nr inrrupd himsl o no, Bob wasn h rgular company man

on h Horizon.

So, compnc asid, hr wr woring dynamics, am coh-

sion. I was a im or amiliar acs and an almos lirally wll-oild

am. Bu i l li BP was aing ou is quarrbac during hourh quarr o a playoff gam.


21/33

16 CAR L SAFINA

nginer Brian Morl dpard h rig, craing spac or visiing com-

pany VIPs. Wro on indusry analys lar, Ls ac i; h iming

o ha VIP visi was rribl. I could no hav ben a a wors im.

A diffi cul prgnancy, nw docors, alrd procdurs: BP dcidd o

urn his xploraory wll ino a producion wll. Usually, h purpos

o an xploraory wll is o larn abou h gological ormaion and

wha h oil and gasbaring producion zon conains. Tn h wll

is closd ou. Enginers us h inormaion o dcid whr o drill a

producion wll, prhaps in a narby spo. I you dcid o urn an x-

ploraory wll ino a producion wll, you obviously sav a air amoun

o drilling xpns. Bu is an xploraion crw going o b amiliar

wih producion chnology? BPs drilling and complion opraions

managr David Sims sid ha h dcision was no a major ch-

nical issu. Y vran wll si ladr Ronni Spulvado whod ben

on h rig or igh and a hal yars had a diffrn a: Wr in h

xploraion group, so w hardly vr s producion srings. W did

mayb a handul o wlls ha was p or producion.

Addd complicaions. T oil and gasin h pay zon, or produc-

ion zonlay ben 1,051 and 1,223 e. T wll was drilld

o blow h zon, o 1,360 e blow h sa surac, which allowd

cmn o b placd undr h oil and gas rsrvoir as wll as around i.

Bcaus his was an xploraory wll, h ida was o nd h oil,

hn sal h wll shu so a diffrn rig could lar ap i or commr-cial producion. Cmn is h main barrir or prvning h prs-

surizd oil and gas om nring h wll. So i was crucial ha h

cmn job a h boom o h wll absoluly sal off h oil and gas

rsrvoir om h wll casing. A bad cmn job could l oil and gas

ino h wll.

T nvironmn a ha dph mans cmning is no a mar o

ging a w bags o concr om h hardwar sor. mpraursand prssurs a h boom o a wll li hisis hor han boil-


22/33

A SEA IN FLAMES 17

rquiring calculaions and ss o slc svral chmical mixurs,

which will b usd in layrs.

Earlir havy losss o drilling uid old chnicians ha hy could

b ino vry loos roc and sand. I you ar nrvous abou a sof zon,

you also worry ha whn you insr cmn o sal h wll boom,

your cmn may ooz ino h loos suff. Tis complicad h c-

mning dlibraions. John Guid: T biggs ris associad wih

his cmn job was losing circulaion. Ta was h numbr on ris.

I your worrid ha h wll walls may b so porous ha hyll

suc in cmn pumpd undr prssur, you migh add som nirogn

gas o h cmn mixur, o g i o orm oamy bubbls; his would

prvn h cmn om laing ino h loos spos.

From h wlls raining rsourcs documn: Foamd cmn is

mor xpnsiv han rgular cmn and i wors br han rgular

cmn in som applicaions. On o h advanags is ha h bubbls

siffn h w cmn so ha i is lss pron o bing los ino a zon or

bing invadd by uids in a zon. A rmo analogy is ha whn a sin

is draind afr washing dishs, h war ows ou h drain whilh soap bubbls rmain in h sin. Bu, h documn nos, whil

oamd cmn is good a saling off shallow aras, us o nirogn

oam is lss common or dep high-mpraur, high-prssur zons.

Halliburon cmn spcialis Jss Gagliano rs proposd in-

cluding nirid cmn. Afr som bac-and-orh, BP agred. Bu

bcaus nirid cmn is usually usd or shallowr jobs, h dph

crad concrn on h rig.ransocan offshor insallaion managr Jimmy Harrll: Ta

nirogn, i could b a bad hing. I i gs in h risr, i will unload h

risr on you. . . . Anyhing can go wrong.

Tr wr hre pars o h cmn and hre ormulaions. Cap

cmn oppd h cmn in h spac ben h casing and h

oil-baring roc and sand ormaion o h wlls sids. Blow ha,h nirid oamd cmn lld h rs o h narrow spac ou-


23/33

18 CARL SAFINA

rac a h boom and was usd insid h lowr par o h casing

isl.

So in various ways his was going o b a diffi cul cmn job. As

la as h afrnoon o April 14, BP was sill rconsidring h chosn

long sring casing dsign, wih is havir rlianc on h ingrit o

h cmn dep a h wll boom. And h porous surrounding roc

was on vryons mind. Cmn has o b pumpd in undr som

dgre o xcss prssur in ordr o ully ll h gap and g a good

bond o h roc and sand on on sid and o h ousid o h produc-

ion casing on h ohr. You ned nough prssur boh o ep h

hydrocarbons conaind and o orc h cmn agains h sids, bu

oo much prssur will injc h cmn ino h sand, and youll los

i. T am spn days drmining how o approach h cmn job.

BP nginer Mar Ha sid o his: W wr concrnd ha

h por prssur and ac gradin was going o b a narrow window

o xcu ha cmn job. Tas why w spn v days. BPs Brian

Morl apologizd o a collagu or asing y anohr qusion abou

h dsign in an April 14 -mail ha h ndd wih his rsonan com-mn: Tis has ben a nighmar wll. Ha addd, Tis has ben

a crazy wll or sur.

Whn BP won h las o his pic o sabd, i hld an in-hous

cons o nam i. T winnr, Macondo, cam om h myhi-

cal own hwn om a paradis o dampnss and silnc in Gabril

Garca Mrquzs novl On Hundrd Yrs of Solud. In h novl,Macondo is an accursd plac, a maphor or h a awaiing hos

oo arrogan o hed is warning signs. Wha had semd a nic lir-

ary allusion now carris ominous porn.

Mor complicaions. Par o Jss Gaglianos as was o modl

h cmns lily prormanc in his wll and dsign a procdur

ha would g h cmn o h propr locaions. On April 15, h dis-

covrd som problms. Tis spac ben h casing and h wall ohis wll was vry narrow. And h prvious xprinc wih los drill-


24/33

A SEA IN FLAMES 19

Ts condiions conribud o a modl prdicing ha i h casing

movd oo clos o on sid o h wll-bor wall, drilling uid could

g lf bhind, craing pocs or channls whr h cmn would

no disribu uniormly. Ta is, i wouldn ll in all o h spac i

nedd o ll.

o prvn a casing om ging oo clos o on sid o a wll bor,

drillrs slip xibl mal spring dvics calld cnralizrs ovr h

casing so ha i will say cnrd in h wll bor. By eping h cas-

ing cnrd, cnralizrs hlp achiv good, vn, horough cmn-

ing ben h casing and h wlls gological wall. In his cas, BP

had six cnralizrs. Ta numbr concrnd Gagliano. On April 15

Gagliano -maild BP saying hd run diffrn scnarios o se i

adding mor cnralizrs will hlp us.

BPs Brian Morl rplid, W hav 6 cnralizrs. . . . Is oo la

o g any mor o h rig. Our only opion is o rarrang placmn

o hs cnralizrs. . . . Hopully h pip says cnralizd du o

gravit.

Bu Jss Gagliano coninud his calculaions. H drmind hant-on cnralizrs should cra an accpably sa cmn ow.

And i wasn rally oo la. On April 16, BP nginering am

ladr Grgg Walz -maild BP projc managr John Guid, saying

ha hd locad fen mor cnralizrs ha could b own o h

rig in h morning wih no incrmnal cos or ransporing hm.

Tr ar diffring opinions on h modl accuracy, h wro o

Guid, bu w ned o honor h modling. H addd, I apologiz iI hav ovrsppd my bounds.

T cnralizrs mad h hlicopr rip o h rig.

Bu Guid xprssd dismay a hs paricular cnralizrs d-

sign, h addiion o nw pics as a las minu dcision, and h

ac ha i would a n hours o insall hm. H wro, I do no

li his, adding ha h was vry concrnd abou using hm.

Walz bacd off.Lar ha afrnoon BPs Brian Morl wro o his collagu Br


25/33

20 CARL SAFINA

Cocals rplid, Evn i h hol is prcly sraigh, a sraigh

pic o pip in nsion will no se h prc cnr o h hol un-

lss i has somhing o cnraliz i. And hn h addd his: Bu

who cars, is don, nd o sory, will probably b n and wll g a

good cmn job.

Ta was on April 16. I sems o suggs a crain willingnss o

add ris.

Tas no how BPs managrs saw i. Guid lar sid: I was

a biggr ris o run h wrong cnralizrs han i was o bliv in h

modl.

Bu monhs lar in Spmbr, BPs own inrnal invsigaion

concludd, T BP Macondo am rronously blivd ha hy had

rcivd h wrong cnralizrs.

In la July 2010, xaminrs om BP conracors Anadaro, rans-

ocan, and Halliburon qusiond Guid on his dcisions.

Q: Ta lf you svral days o g whavr cnralizrs you l

migh b nedd.

Guid: I didn el hy wr nedd.Q: So wha your lling m is ha hr was jus no discussion

among you ben you and Mr. Walz abou jus waiing or h righ

cnralizrs? Non, zip, zro, ru?

Guid: Ta subjc nvr cam up.

Q: You sill had im ben h 16h and h 20h

Guid: Wll, w didn now i w could nd hm. Ta subjc

nvr cam up.Q. Sir, can you ll us h numbr o ims, ha you hav prsonal

nowldg o, ha BP did no ollow h rcommndaions o Hal-

liburon in conncion wih h cmning o any o is jobs, i any?

Guid: I don now o any.

Wll, prhaps w now o on. Halliburons Gagliano accpd BPs

dcision and, on April 17 and 1, dvlopd h spcic procdur orpumping h cmn. Gagliano crad and sn on nal cmning


26/33

A SEA IN FLAMES 21

no on a BP sems o hav lood a. Ta pag said ha using only

six cnralizrs would lily caus channling; i also nod: Basd on

analysis o h abov oulind wll condiions, his wll is considrd o

hav a SEVERE gas ow problm. Bu wih nt-on cnralizrs,

i addd, his wll is considrd o hav a MINOR gas ow problm.

Tis rpor was aachd o an -mail sn o Guid on April 1,

bu i wn unopnd bcaus h casing wih jus h six cnraliz-

rs was alrady down h hol. Alhough BP had had days o g h

cnralizrs, i was now oo la o rad h -mail prdicing svr

gas-ow problms. Guid lar sid: I nvr nw i was par o

h rpor.

T cmn job will ail. Bu a w monhs lar, in Spmbr

2010, BPs own invsigaion will conclud, Alhough h dcision

no o us nt-on cnralizrs incrasd h possibilit o chan-

nling abov h main hydrocarbon zons, h dcision lily did no

conribu o h cmns ailur.

Tas BPs xcuivs xonraing hmslvs, so sason i wih

a grain o sal. Bu numrous indusry analyss hin cnralizrs arno h smoing gun. Wll g bac o ha qusion lar, bu or now,

is imporan o undrsand h disancs involvd. T rcommndd

nt-on cnralizrs wr man o ep h boom 00 e o

casing vnly cnrd in h wll. I h worrs had had all nt-

on, hy would hav pu fen abov h span conaining h oil and

gas, our in h zon ha hld h oil and gas, and o blow ha zon.

BP placd h six cnralizrs so as o sraddl and bisc h 175vrical e o oil and gasbaring sands dep in h wll, a dphs o

around 1,000 e. Ty placd o cnralizrs abov h oil and gas

zon, o in h zon, and o blow i.

Bu vn i cnralizrs won b h smoing gun, h -mail x-

changs ovr h cnralizrs convy h sns ha h BP am isn

raing his ndavor wih h umos car. Whn rd ags go up,

BPs dcision mars sem rushd, rahr han horough.BP -mails suggs ha is prsonnl blivd ha any problm


27/33

22 CARL SAFINA

rason why hy ail is sldom prcisly ascraind. Usually h ail-

ur is no caasrophic and h x is o pump mor cmn in, hn

s i again. For his rason, h indusry has dvlopd svral ways

o sing h soundnss o cmning jobs.

Bu dcing problms assums, o cours, ha h cmning job

will b proprly sd.

T crw did hir cmning ovr a v-hour priod, saring a

7:30 .. on April 1. Whn hy nishd, a around 12:30 .., h

calndar had urnd ovr o April 20.

sing. Mor complicaions: whn wlls los drilling uidas his

on did wes arliron possibl soluion is o snd down a spcial

mixur o uids o bloc h problm zons in h wll bor. Tin

o h suff mad o spray ino a a ir o sal i nough o g you

hom. A bach o his mixur is calld a ill pill. I is a hic, havy

compound (16 pounds pr gallon, compard o 14.5 or drilling uid

and .6 or sawar).

wo wes bor h accidn, whn h rig had is srious3,000-barrl loss o drilling uid, h uid spcialiss mad up a ill

pill and pumpd i down o h problm zon. I didn sem o wor,

so hy mixd up anohr bach: 424 barrls o a combinaion o o

marials. Bu jus as hy wr prparing o snd his scond ill pill

down h hol, h losss soppd.

Ty now had a hic, unusd 424-barrl ill pill siing in an xra

an, aing up spac on h rig. o dispos o i hy had o op-ions: a i ono shor and ra i as hazardous was or us i in

h drilling procss. T scond choic would allow hm o sir h

land-basd disposal procss and dump h compound dircly ino h

ocan.

T drilling uid spcialiss go h brigh ida o using h unusd

ill-pill marial in a spacr. A spacr is a disinc uid placd in

ben o ohr uids. Whn your pushing diffrn uids down awll, youll ofn dcid o us a spacr ben h diffrn uids


28/33

A SEA IN FLAMES 23

hy won mix and so you can ep rac o whr hings ar. A spacr

also cras a marr in h drilling ow, which allows h rig am o

wach h uid rurns, o nsur ha ow in quals ow ou.

Bcaus BP didn wan o hav o dispos o h hic ill-pill ma-

rial, hy mixd i wih som ohr uid o cra a spacr. BPs vic

prsidn or sat and opraions, Mar Bly, lar said ha using such

a mixur was no an uncommon hing o do. T rigs drilling uid

spcialis, Lo Lindnr, pu i diffrnly, saying, Is no somhing

ha wv vr don bor. A a govrnmn haring in Augus, BP

managr David Sims was asd i h had vr usd a similar mixur

as a spacr. No, I hav no, Sims said.

Down h hach i gos. Jus li ha.

Q: Wha i you hadn usd i ha way, wha would h rig hav

had o do; hazardous was disposal, righ?

Lindnr: Ys.

Q: Whn hs pills ar mixd, hav you vr hard anybody

characriz i as looing li sno?

Lindnr: I wasn qui sno .Q: Bu i was clos?

Lindnr: I was hic. I was hic, bu i was sill uid.

Q: So i was vry viscous?

Lindnr: Ys.

Q: And rally h only rason or puing hos o pills down

hr was jus o g rid o hm; is ha your undrsanding?

Lindnr: o my nowldgwll, i lld a uncion ha wnedd a spacr.

Chi nginer Sv Bron lar rcalld ha afr h xplo-

sion, I lood down a h dc bcaus i was vry slic and I saw a

subsanc ha had a consisncy o sno. I can rmmbr hining o

mysl, Why is all his sno on h dc?

Bac on h rig, ransocan insallaion managr Jimmy Harrll ou-lins h wll-closing procdur. BPs company man (lar simony


29/33

24 CAR L SAFINA

prs up. Inrrups. Says, Wll, my procss is diffrn. And I hin

wr gonna do i his way. Chi mchanic Douglas Brown will lar

si ha BPs company man said, Tis is how is going o b,

lading o a vrbal sirmish wih ransocans Jimmy Harrll, who

lf h meing grumbling, I guss has wha w hav hos pincrs

or (rrring o h blowou prvnr). Harrll will lar si ha

h was alluding o his concrns abou riss inhrn in h cmn-

ing procdur, bu would say, I didn hav no doubs abou i. Hll

claim h had no argumn bu ha hrs a big diffrnc ben

an argumn and a disagremn. Chi lcronics chnician Mi

Williams, sad bsid BPs company man, will lar rcall, So hr

was sor o a chs-bumping ind o dal. T communicaion semd

o bra down as o who was ulimaly in charg.

Tis is crainly no h im or chs bumping or blurrd auhor-

it. I your gonna rlas h paring bra, youd br agre on

whos gonna b in h drivrs sa. And whovr grabs h whel b-

r now how o driv.

High-ris prgnancy nrs labor. o drmin i h cmn job has

word and h wll is sald, rig opraors can choos om svral

ss. On h Depwar Horizon h nginers dcid o do o inds

o prssur ss. In a posiiv prssur s, hy inroduc prssur

in h wll; i i holds, i mans nohings laing ouom h wll ino

h roc. Ty do his s on h morning o April 20, ben abou

11:00 a.m. and noon, roughly lvn hours afr h cmn job nds.I gos wll; i sems nohings laing ou.

Bu h rason nohings laing ou may b ha hrs prssur

om oil and gas pushing o g in. So h nginers prpar o do a

ngaiv prssur s. A ngaiv s is a way o seing i prssur

is building in h wll, indicaing ha gas and oil ar laing in. Ta

could man h cmn has aild.

o do a ngaiv s, hy clos h wllhad, hn rduc hdownward prssur on h wll by rplacing som havy drilling uid


30/33

A SEA IN FLAMES 25

incrass, hydrocarbons ar nring, xring upward prssur om

blow. Wha hy wan o se is zro prssur.

Unil h ngaiv prssur s is prormd succssully, h rig

crw won rmov h balanc o h havy dril ling mud ha sopprs

h wll; has hir oo on h bra.

Ben 3:00 .. and 5:00 .., abou fen hours afr h c-

mn job was nishd, hy sar rducing h prssur by insring

sawar ino h mils-long circulaing-uid lins. o ma sur h

drilling uid and h sawar don mix, hy prcd h sawar

wih a spacr. T spacr hy us conains ha xra ill-pill ma-

rial, h sno. And hough a tpical amoun o spacr is undr 200

barrls, his im is ovr 400 barrls bcaus, rmmbr, hyr ry-

ing o g rid o ha lfovr suff.

Tr ar various placs all his uid is ging o, bcaus hr

ar various lins and pips going ino and ou o h blowou prvnr.

On such lin is calld h ill lin. Anohr is h drill pip.

A lil bor 5:00 .., hy wor or a whil o rliv any rsid-

ual prssur and ar looing or h uid o sabiliz a zro prssur,indicad by a rading o zro pounds pr squar inch, or psi. Tyv

go h prssur down o 645 psi in h ill lin, bu is a 1,350 psi in

h drill pip. So hy ry bleding h sysm down, vning off som

o ha prssur. Ty achiv zro in h ill lin. T drill pip rains

273 psi. Ty ned zro.

Ovr six minus righ around 5:00 .., h drill pip prssur

incrass om 273 psi o 1,250.T nginers ighn h blowou prvnrs rubbr gas and

add 50 barrls o havir-han-war uid.

So h lins ar lld wih a varit o diffrn uids snaing

hrough in sgmns: hrs a srch o drilling uid, or mud, a

srch o h unusual spacr marial, ollowd by plain sawar.

A his poin in h circulaion o h various uids, h spacrh

snoshould b abov h blowou prvnr. Bu som o i hasound is way ino h blowou prvnr and has nrd on o h


31/33

26 CARL SAFINA

T nginers se prssur building in h drill pip, zro prssur

in h ill lin. Tyr unsur wha o ma o ha, so hy rpa

h s procdur svral ims. From shorly afr 5:00 o almos

5:30, hy g h prssur in h drill pip down a lil, om 1,250 o

almos 1,200.

T Depwar Join Invsigaion panl asd Dr. John R. Smih,

whos PhD is in prolum nginering, o dscrib a ngaiv s:

I is a succssul s, hrs no mor uid coming bac. Youv

go a closd conainr. Trs no hol in h boa. Trs no uid

laing in hrough h wall o h conainr or h casing. I jus sis

hr. I you hav an unsuccssul s, xrnal prssur is laing

hrough h wall o h sysm somwhr. Trough h wall o h

casing, pas h casing hangr sals, up hrough h oa quipmn

in h casing. Somwhr hrs a la om xrnal prssur

ino h sysm. Youd xpc o coninu o se som uid coming

bac.

o rach or an analogy: i you did a ngaiv s in a swimmingpool, youd mpt h pool. I h pool sayd dry, youd hav a succss-

ul s. I you had a problm, h pool would sar lling isl hrough

las in is walls. A wll 1,360 e dep is a bi ricir o s han

a swimming pool. Evn hough your rducing h prssur, you sill

hav o ep nough downward prssur on h wll o conrol any oil

and gas ha migh sar nring. And you mus chc spcic pips

or indicaions o prssur.Wlls com in many diffrn sizs and shaps and pip sups. So,

somwha surprisingly, hr isn a sandard ngaiv s.

Q: Do you now i hrs any sandard ngaiv s procdur

ha h indusry ollows?

Dr. John Smih: I was unabl o nd a sandard.

T Minrals Managmn Srvics prmi spcid ha his

ngaiv s b conducd by monioring h ill lin abov h blow-ou prvnr. John Guid: And ha was rally h only discussion,


32/33


33/33
http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-sea-in-flames/id422540032?mt=11http://books.google.com/ebooks?as_brr=5&q=9780307887351http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780307887351http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?defaultSearchView=List&LogData=%5Bsearch%3A+8%2Cparse%3A+51%5D&cm_mmc=CJ-_-2193956-_-2665379-_-88x31+logo&type=1&searchData={productId%3Anull%2Csku%3Anull%2Ctype%3A1%2Csort%3Anull%2CcurrPage%3A1%2CresultsPerPage%3A25%2CsimpleSearch%3Afalse%2Cnavigation%3A5185%2CmoreValue%3Anull%2CcoverView%3Afalse%2Curl%3Arpp%3D25%26view%3D2%26type%3D1%26page%3D1%26kids%3Dfalse%26nav%3D5185%26simple%3Dfalse%26sku%3D9780307887351%2Cterms%3A{sku%3D9780307887351}}&storeId=13551&catalogId=10001&sku=0307887359&ddkey=http:SearchResults&cmpid=pub-rh-1117http://search.barnesandnoble.com/A-Sea-in-Flames/Carl-Safina/e/9780307887351?afsrc=1&isbsrc=Y&r=1http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307887359?ie=UTF8&tag=randohouseinc2-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0307887359

Documents

A Sea in Flames by Carl Safina - Excerpt