87 days of oil spreading. A count of 11 people dead and 17 injured. The biggest oil spill in U.S. history. April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded while drilling into the earth beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. The rig was owned by Transocean and the oil company BP. The night of the explosion, natural gas busted through a concrete core that was recently installed. This same thing happened two years before, in 2008, without knowledge. This core was also owned by BP. According to Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill of 2010, by Richard Pallardy, the likely reason for explosion is that “both cores were likely too weak to withstand the pressure because they were composed of a concrete mixture that used nitrogen gas to accelerate curing.” The core was located 4,993 feet below the surface and extended 18,000 feet into the rock. Two days after the explosion, oil started to spread into the Gulf. It was estimated to about 1,000 barrels a day, to the government 60,000 barrels. The fail-safe system also malfunctioned because ‘the pipe had bent under the pressure of the rising gas and oil.” Previous Problems and WarningsThe U.S. Coast Guard issued citations eighteen times between 2000 and 2010, and they investigated sixteen fires and other problems. Although they were typical for the Gulf, it was not connected to the explosion and spill. According to Wikipedia “The Deepwater Horizon had other serious incidents, including one in 2008 in which 77 people were evacuated from the platform when it tilted and began to sink after a section of pipe was incorrectly removed from the platform's ballast system.” In March 2010, the rig had problems that included drilling mud in oil form, gas releases, a pipe falling into a well, and three blowout preventers leaking fluid. BP warned that the cement of the casing was not successful. BP Vice President, Patrick O’Bryan, two hours before the explosion, was on the scene to celebrate 7 years without “lost-time incident” with the rigs crew. A BP on board directed the crew to replace the drilling mud with lighter seawater. Hours before the explosion several warnings were indicated. There was reading of gas bubbling into the well. The ExplosionThe fire started at 9:56 pm on April 20th, 2010. There were 126 crew members on board. Transocean employees said the lights flickered and there was a feeling of vibration, and they instantly knew something was wrong. Wikipedia states that “after the explosion, Adrian Rose stated that abnormal pressure had accumulated inside the marine riser and as it came up it ‘expanded rapidly and ignited.’” The trapped gas escaped from the well and shot up the drill column. It burst through several seals and barriers before exploding. There was a five minute warning while alarms went off. The explosion was followed by a fire, which burned for more than a day. April 22nd the platform sunk at exactly 10:21 am. In the end only 115 of the original 126 crew members were still living.
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AuthorHanna Willoughby, |