On June 5, a total of 10,500 barrels of oil was collected and 22 million standard cubic feet of natural gas was flared. From June 3 through June 5, the volume of oil collected was 16,600 barrels and 32.7 million standard cubic feet of natural gas was flared.
Optimization continues and improvement in oil collection is expected over the next several days. According to BP, this is a complex operation, involving risks and uncertainties, being carried out 5,000ft under water. The LMRP containment cap never before has been deployed at these depths and conditions, and its efficiency and ability to contain the oil and gas cannot be assured.
Preparations for additional planned enhancements to the LMRP cap containment system continue to progress, the company said.
The first planned addition will use the hoses and manifold that were deployed for the ‘top kill’ operation to take oil and gas from the failed Deepwater Horizon blow-out preventer (BOP) through a separate riser to the Q4000 vessel on the surface, in addition to the LMRP cap system.
This system is intended to increase the overall efficiency of the containment operation by possibly increasing the amount of oil and gas that can be captured from the well and is currently expected to be available for deployment in mid-June.
The second planned addition is intended to provide a more permanent LMRP containment cap system by directing the oil and gas to a new free-floating riser ending approximately 300ft below sea level. A flexible hose then will be attached to a containment vessel.
BP said this long-term containment option is designed to permit effective disconnection and reconnection of the riser to provide flexibility for operations during a hurricane and is expected to be implemented in early July.
In the meantime, work on the first relief well, which started on May 2, continues and has currently reached a depth of 12,956ft. The second relief well, which started on May 16, is at 8,576ft, and testing of the BOP is continuing. Both wells are still estimated to take approximately three months to complete from commencement of drilling.
