"Steve B" wrote in message
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"Wayne.B" wrote in message
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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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So, I guess that the BOP worked. Great. At the failure rate of 40%, they got
lucky. Tell us again about how the system worked with a fire, explosion, and
people in the water?