"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 2 Sep 2010 14:13:07 -0700, "nom=de=plume"
wrote:

I agree that it may not have come from the well. Seems like a distinction
without a difference. Oil in the water is still oil in the water.

Actually there is a huge difference if you think about it: Oil from
the platform equipment is finite and will stop relatively quickly; Oil
from the well can take months to control as we have seen.


But, in the case of BP, the shutoff valves did not work. This one, from
what I see, the shutoffs worked, and with the slick being finally described
as less than a mile big, there wasn't a lot of fluid lost from anything.
The wells seem to have "shut in". Which means the closers worked and are
holding the oil back. It IS a production rig, and that means that the wells
have been drilled, and oil may be coming out under its own pressure. If any
natural gas is present, that stuff is highly pressurized. Have you ever
been boating, and noticed how big a sheen a tiny bit of gas makes? A mile
long slick could be like a few hundred gallons, maybe less.

Steve

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