Produced oil is being stored on the drillship while produced gas is being flared. However, BP expects that it will take some time to increase the flow through the system and maximize the proportion of oil and gas flowing through the broken riser that will be captured and transported to the drillship.
The RITT is a fabricated from four-inch diameter pipe, fashioned to allow one end to be inserted into the broken riser pipe that is the source of the main oil flow from the MC252 well, and the other to be connected to a drill pipe and riser from the Discoverer Enterprise. The RITT allows the injection of methanol to mitigate against the formation of gas hydrates.
This remains a new technology and both its continued operation and its effectiveness in capturing the oil and gas remains uncertain, BP said.
The company also continues to develop options to shut off the flow of oil from the well through interventions via the failed blow out preventer (BOP).
