Static Kill to seal Gulf oil well

The cap is holding

Three months after the DeepHorizon rig exploded causing the worst environmental disaster in US history, there have been a series of attempts to seal the well, all of which have failed.

However this week, BP has said that work has begun on permanently sealing the well with a procedure known as a "static kill". Two weeks after the well was sealed with a new cap, BP engineers have begun to pump mud and cement into the well to permanently seal it.

A ‘bottom kill' procedure is also to be initiated where mud and cement is pumped in from a relief well below. This is set to happen in a few days time.

Admiral Thad Allen, who has been overseeing the clean-up operations, said that the static and bottom kill strategies would seal the well once and for all "could start as early as Monday night", depending on the results of ongoing tests.

Heavy mud is to be pumped through lines installed earlier this month on top of the blowout preventer, the unit that failed when the rig exploded. In theory the mud should force the oil and gas back into the reservoir below the seafloor. If pressure in the well remains stable and no unknown leaks are discovered, cement will then be poured in to seal the top of the well pipe.

While Admiral Allen is positive about the procedure, a similar effort called ‘Top Kill' famously failed in May due to the high pressure of the leak.

Speaking about the procedure, Allen said that if any leaks are detected during the procedure over the coming days, technicians will seek to identify them through seismic work and other diagnostic testing.

Finally capped

After initially spilling up to 60,000 barrels of oil a day into the sea since the accident on 20 April, the well has been capped for the last two weeks finally allowing clean-up operations to make a difference.

To date, the operation has cost over $4 billion with BP reporting a record loss of $17 billion, while putting aside $32 billion for clean-up costs and reparations to those affected. So far, the oil has affected coastal communities in over four US states, crippling fishing and tourism industries.

Relevant articles:

Gulf well cap holding, oil seepage detected | Gulf clean-up hampered by storm | BP oil spill cost is $32.2 billion

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