Failures that causes oil spill

Deepwater Horizondrilling rigin Gulf of MexicoDrilling rig = Large structure with equipment for drilling an oil well.

IntroductionFebruary 2010 Macondo exploratory well started drilling

April 2010 Were preparing to temporarily abandon Macondo Rig unexpectedly exploded with leaking hydrocarbon gasFire burned for 36 hours before rig sank

September 2010Rig finally sealed

Explosion of Deepwater Horizon drilling rigConsequencesKilling 11 crews.Estimated 200 million gallons of oil spilled in Gulf of MexicoExtensive damage to marine wildlife

Clotted oil floating on the surface 9 miles from MacondoUnreliable cement The borehole wasnt sealedMalfunctioning of valve Gas and oil traveled up the pipeData misinterpreted Misinterpreted of the results of tests carried outUnconcerned Conditions of the well wasnt checked by the crew time to timeFailures that causes oil spillFailures that causes oil spillBlowout preventer failure device wasnt functioning wellWrong decision overwhelmed separatorAlarm failed Alarm and ventilation fans wasnt triggeredMalfunctioning safety mechanism Blowout preventer no battery and defective switchPreventions

Well casingsCentralizers are placed around the casing sections before they are lowered into the casing.Cement is injected in the space between the bottom of the new casing section and the bottom of the casing.The cement flows up around the outside of the casing, replacing the mud in that space with pure, uncontaminated cement.Cement is held perfectly still for several hours while it solidifies.PreventionsPrimary safety control - The rig's blowout preventer had a hydraulic leak and a faulty battery and thus, failed.Rig crew's mistake - The workers should have consulted the visiting engineers on the faulty test results of a critical negative pressure test on the rig.Technology development - There was a lack of equipment and procedures for high-pressure remote operations.Cost cutting - Instead of a continuous set of threaded casing pipes from the wellhead down to the bottoms of its well, a better alternative would have a "liner" design.

Comparison of the wells liningReferencesMcAlexander, S., n.d.. Engineering Disasters: Applying Lessons Learned form Failure. [Online] Available at: http://www.carolina.com/teacher-resources/Interactive/engineering-disasters-applying-lessons-learned-from-failure/tr23605.tr[Accessed 9 October 2015].Mullins, J., 2010. The eight failures that caused the Gulf oil spill. [Online] Available at: https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19425-the-eight-failures-that-caused-the-gulf-oil-spill/[Accessed 9 October 2015].Thompson, P., 2013. BP could be saved hundreds of millions of pounds over Gulf of Mexico oil spill after U.S. court stops bogus or inflated payments. [Online] Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2442576/BP-wins-Gulf-Mexico-oil-spill-compensation-court-battle.html[Accessed 9 October 2015].Young, E. &., 2014. Deepwater Horizon accident and response. [Online] Available at: http://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/gulf-of-mexico-restoration/deepwater-horizon-accident-and-response.html[Accessed 9 October 2015].SUBJECT WIKI for casing (2015) [Online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casing_(borehole) [Accessed: 10 Oct 2015]Fairley, P., 2010. How to Prevent Deepwater Spills. [Online] Available at: http://www.technologyreview.com/news/419328/how-to-prevent-deepwater-spills/[Accessed 10 October 2015].Reuters, T., 2011. Gulf Oil Spill Could Have Been Prevented By Who Weren't Consulted: Report. [Online] Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/17/oil-spill-could-have-been_n_824647.html[Accessed 10 Octover 2015].