Posts from — September 2010

The Times-Picayune has a story and picture: Deepwater Horizon’s 2 drill pipes seen up close in clearest picture to date

Fuzzy images taken by robotic submarines a mile under the sea showed the two pipes before. But the Marine Board panel investigating the massive April 20 accident just put out this crisp image taken after the section of tubing called a riser had been lifted to the dock.

It’s the clearest sign yet to back up the theory that a second drill pipe was also running into the blowout preventer, the huge system of valves and rams that are designed to close in the well in an emergency, and fouled up the works when the well blew.

Efforts to activate pipe-cutting devices in the blowout preventer repeatedly failed, at the time of the accident and for months afterward. The cutting shear rams are only designed to cut one pipe under high pressure.

Here is the problem – we don’t know when the second drilling pipe dropped down the riser, i.e. we don’t know if it was in the BOP before the blowout, or if it dropped as a result of the blowout. The BOP won’t function properly if there is a drilling pipe junction inside, so a second pipe would have the same effect.

Like many investigations, this one is generating more questions than answers at this stage.

Position: 40.0N 69.7W [10 PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: Northeast [035°] near 25 mph [41 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 70 mph [110 kph].
Wind Gusts: 85 mph [135 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 205 miles [335 km].
Minimum central pressure: 958 mb ↓.

Currently about 90 miles [150 km] South-Southeast of Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Earl continues to weaken over the colder water off the New England coast.

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for Nova Scotia from Ecum Secum westward to Digby.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Watch Hill, Rhode Island eastward around Cape Cod to Hull, Massachusetts including Marthas Vineyard, Nantucket Island, and Block Island; Stonington, Maine eastward to Eastport, Maine; the entire coast of Nova Scotia; Prince Edward Island; New Brunswick from the U.S.-Canada border eastward to Fort Lawrence; from Shediac to Tidnish; and the Magdalen Islands .

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Point Escuminac to Shediac, New Brunswick.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 31.4N 64.9W [10 PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: North-Northeast [020°] near 16 mph [26 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 30 mph [ 55 kph].
Wind Gusts: 40 mph [ 80 kph].
Minimum central pressure: 1013 mb.

Currently about 60 miles [100 km] South of Bermuda.

All Watches and Warnings canceled as Fiona weakens to a remnant low. The storm was receiving wind shear from Earl’s outflow which suppressed development and finally tore it apart. This is the final advisory.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

What Now?

Do you have to do that?

[Editor: Tonto is a bit annoyed because her kitten is not picking up on the weaning process and now I’m using the camera. This is the kitten that was sleeping in the gutter erosion guard last week. Not a Mensa candidate.

Friday Ark

So NOLA.com has a story from Bloomberg News: BP investigation of Gulf of Mexico oil spill finds several areas of fault

BP’s internal investigation of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster pins some of the blame on the company for mistakes made when finishing the oil well, including misreading pressure data that indicated a blowout was imminent, according to a person familiar with the report.

BP managers aboard the Transocean-owned rig misinterpreted a test of the Macondo well’s stability in April, deciding the test confirmed the well was in good shape, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the report’s findings haven’t been publicly released.

That positive interpretation of the test data cleared the way for rig workers to begin replacing drilling fluid in the well, which is heavier than oil and natural gas, with seawater.

The seawater was too light to prevent natural gas that had begun leaking into the well from shooting up the pipe to the rig, where it exploded and killed 11 workers. The damaged well eventually spewed more than 4 million barrels of crude into the sea, enough to fill two supertankers.

“The entire industry should not be blamed for the actions of one single individual,” John Hofmeister, chief executive officer of Citizens for Affordable Energy and a former Royal Dutch Shell executive, said in an interview with Peter Cook Monday on Bloomberg Television’s “Inside Track.”

Why was this given to Bloomberg? The report is coming out, and the accident investigation board will put it in the public record. The information is no surprise to anyone who has been tracking the hearings. There has to be a reason beyond “public service” for getting it out now, rather than just waiting for the report. If we knew the name of person who gave this to Bloomberg, we would know why that person was interested in getting the story out sooner, rather than later.

Even though this agrees with my own analysis, I don’t give it much credibility because the source got anonymity. I suspect that it was someone above the engineer identified in the article who is looking for a scapegoat.

It wasn’t the industry; it wasn’t BP; it was one engineer on the rig. Yeah, right 😈

At 9:20 AM CDT another well lit up the Gulf about 100 miles [160 km] South of Vermillion, Louisiana. CNN has the story : Oil platform fire reported in Gulf of Mexico

(CNN) — A well connected to an oil and gas production platform caught on fire in the Gulf of Mexico Thursday, engulfing the vessel in flames about 100 miles off the central coast of Louisiana and forcing 13 people overboard, Gov. Bobby Jindal said.

All 13 people have been accounted for, said Petty Officer Bill Colclough of the Coast Guard. They were found floating on a raft, officials said. Mariner Energy, which owns the Vermilion Oil Rig 380, said none of the crew members was hurt in the incident, despite earlier reports of a single injured worker.

Also, Mariner indicated that the fire — which was first reported to the Coast Guard by workers on a nearby rig around 9:20 a.m. (10:20 a.m. ET) — was not sparked by an explosion. It started at one of the platform’s seven active wells, the company said, though its cause is under investigation.

The company said an initial flyover of the site indicated “no hydrocarbon spill.” However, Coast Guard Petty Officer Elizabeth Bordelon said there is a sheen on the water at the site of the platform, measuring about 100-feet wide and stretching for one mile.
…

During the last week of August, production from the platform averaged approximately 9.2 million cubic feet of natural gas a day and 1,400 barrels (58,800 gallons) of oil, the company said.

Yep, no oil spill, the sheen must be from someone spilling salad dressing or fumes from a fish fry, couldn’t be an discharge… no way… not going to happen [/snark].

Fortunately everyone is safely ashore. The well is in relatively shallow water on a stationary platform and production controls generally work and will shut down in the event of a problem, so it could be a whole lot worse. The thing is that these type of accidents are part of the drilling and production process. They are much more common than people realize, and while they can generally be contained on land, they can’t be contained in the open water.

Oh, the fire still isn’t out. [Update: Nola has continuing coverage.]

Position: 13.5N 39.5W [ 4 PM CDT 2100 UTC].
Movement: West [270°] near 5 mph [7 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 30 mph [ 45 kph].
Wind Gusts: 40 mph [ 65 kph].
Minimum central pressure: 1009 mb ↑.

Currently about 1015 miles [1635 km] East of the Lesser Antilles.

Gaston has degenerated to a remnant low and this is the last advisory unless it regenerates.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 26.9N 66.8W [10 PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: North [355°] near 16 mph [26 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 50 mph [ 80 kph].
Wind Gusts: 65 mph [105 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 105 miles [165 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1005 mb ↑.

Currently about 390 miles [630 km] South-Southwest of Bermuda.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Bermuda.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 33.8N 74.4W [10 PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: North-Northeast [015°] near 18 mph [30 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 105 mph [165 kph].
Wind Gusts: 125 mph [195 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 205 miles [335 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 70 miles [110 km].
Minimum central pressure: 951 mb ↑.

Currently about 115 miles [185 km] South-Southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

Slightly cooler water and higher wind shear are starting to weaken Earl, but it is already affecting the Outer Banks of North Carolina. While it is not as bad as it was earlier, Earl is still a large hurricane.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for Bogue Inlet, North Carolina northeastward to the North Carolina-Virginia border including the Pamlico and Albemarle sounds and Westport, Massachusetts eastward around Cape Cod to Hull including Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket Island

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for North of of the North Carolina-Virginia border to Cape Henlopen, Delaware and Nova Scotia from Medway Harbour to Digby.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect from Surf City to west of Bogue Inlet, North Carolina; from the North Carolina-Virginia border to Sandy Hook, New Jersey including Delaware Bay south of Slaughter Beach and the Chesapeake Bay south of New Point Comfort; the coast of Long Island, New York from Fire Island Inlet eastward on the South Shore and Port Jefferson Harbor eastward on the North Shore; from New Haven Connecticut to west of Westport including Block Island; north of Hull, Massachusetts to the Merrimack River; and Stonington, Maine eastward to Eastport, Maine.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for north of the Merrimack River to west of Stonington, Maine; the coast of Long Island west of Fire Island Inlet on the South Shore and west of Port Jefferson Harbor on the North Shore; New Brunswick from the U.S.-Canada border eastward to Fort Lawrence and from Tidnish westward to Shediac; Nova Scotia from Fort Lawrence southwestward to Digby, Medway Harbour northeastward to Point Tupper and Aulds Cove westward to Tidnish; and Prince Edward Island.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 13.4N 37.7W [10 PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West [280°] near 12 mph [19 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 40 mph [ 65 kph].
Wind Gusts: 50 mph [ 80 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 70 miles [110 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1005 mb.

Currently about 1585 miles [2550 km] East of the Leeward Islands.

This is the busy part of the hurricane season as Gaston becomes the fourth Tropical Storm in the last eleven days.

After looking at the models and discussion on this storm, I don’t think the Gulf of Mexico is going to be happy with Gaston, after the Caribbean is unhappy with the storm. I am not seeing a turn to the North.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 21.8N 64.1W [10 PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: Northwest [305°] near 23 mph [37 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 60 mph [ 95 kph].
Wind Gusts: 70 mph [110 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 140 miles [220 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1000 mb ↑.

Currently about 270 miles [430 km] North of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Fiona is stronger this morning as it moves by the Leeward Islands. The Warnings and Watches have been discontinued as Fiona moves North of the islands.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 27.8N 73.8W [10 PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: North-Northwest [330°] near 18 mph [30 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 140 mph [220 kph].
Wind Gusts: 165 mph [265 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 230 miles [370 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 90 miles [150 km].
Minimum central pressure: 932 mb ↓.

Currently about 520 miles [840 km] South-Southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

Earl went through an eye wall replacement cycle yesterday and then sucked in some dry air, but it seems to be recovering over the very warm water.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for Bogue Inlet, North Carolina northeastward to the North Carolina-Virginia border including the Pamlico and Albemarle sounds.

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for North of of the North Carolina/Virginia border to Cape Henlopen, Delaware and Woods Hole to Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts including Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect from Cape Fear to west of Bogue Inlet, North Carolina and from the North Carolina-Virginia border to Sandy Hook New Jersey including Delaware Bay south of Slaughter Beach and the Chesapeake Bay south of New Point Comfort.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Sandy Hook New Jersey to Woods Hole, Massachusetts including Block Island and Long Island Sound and North of Sagamore Beach to the mouth of the Merrimack River, Massachusetts.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

… and the legislature is outraged.

Florida Supreme Court strikes 3 GOP-backed amendments from Nov. 2 ballot

TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Supreme Court struck a blow to the GOP-dominated legislature Tuesday by stripping three proposed constitutional amendments off the November ballot, ruling they were confusing to voters.
…

The rulings are the latest in which the court has asked lawmakers “not to play games when it comes time to write amendments,” said Ron Meyer, a constitutional lawyer who argued against Amendment 7, the legislature’s redistricting amendment. “Stop hiding the ball. Stop wordsmithing. Be direct. In the words of the statute, be clear and unambiguous.”

The Court upheld lower court rulings that Amendment 3 [a temporary tax break], Amendment 7 [redistricting], and Amendment 9 [health care] failed to pass the test for a clear summary that would be put on the ballot, i.e. the summary didn’t explain what the amendments would do.

In the case of Amendment 7, it would neutralize Amendments 4 & 5. Those two amendments were designed to get politics out of the redistricting process and produce compact districts, rather than the rather strange creatures that inhabit the current political map of Florida.

If you are not from Florida, this was about the language that was to appear on the actual ballot. This has nothing to do with what is in the amendments. The Court is not pre-judging the language of the amendments themselves, only the summaries for the ballot. You have 75 words or less to explain what your amendment will do, and the Court decides whether your summary actually does that.