How did bp stop the oil spill?

Answer 1

The oil spill is the result of a well blowout and unfortunately, we still do not have all the answers as to why the well blew out. It was a known "gassy" reservoir of oil, so it could be explained, as some suggest, by a large bubble of methane gas rushing out of the drill pipe, igniting and exploding. The explosion in April 2010 killed 11 people working on the rig.

Because of the fire or the explosion, a wellhead was damaged, the drilling rig collapsed breaking the piping that connected the drill to the well approximately 5000 ft below sea level, which allowed oil to begin to flow directly into the ocean. The fail safes that are supposed to protect the environment and people in this type of situation failed, or were inadequate under the deep well conditions.

Halliburton had finished cementing in a production casing and abnormal pressures were detected in the marine riser. But until more information is revealed, the cause is still speculative. Many more details should be available after a full inquiry is made.

See link for additional discussion of events.

Answer 2

Three different processes were tried, and each had only limited success.

- The blowout preventers, which should have stopped the flow, were practically useless, even when reinforced using remotely-piloted deepsea vehicles.

- A containment vessel weighing 140 tons (125 tonnes) was lowered onto the wellhead, and used to siphon oil to the surface, but this failed when methane hydrates clogged its openings.

- Pumping heavy drilling mud directly into the wellhead was not effective, so a cement cap could not be applied.

The final solution involved allowing the oil to flow into a containment vessel (spilling about half) while a large flanged attachment was securely bolted to the wellhead underneath, so that a valved chamber could slowly seal off the connection. This process took about a month to complete, the spill having continued for a total of 87 days after it began. Two months after that, a relief well plugged the lower well with mud and cement. Some oil had continued to reach the surface through smaller leaks.

Answer 3

They somehow pored concrete down the broken pipe

Answer 4

All the baby seals, dolphins and pelicans swallowed it up, and stored all of it in there fluffy fur and feathers. :)

yeyeyeyeyeyeee