Just listened to the presser. No mud pumped for the last 16 hours....

[Junkdrawer]

Reading between the lines of BP Speak: The first attempt failed. Junk shot later tonight.

[gateley]

1. They've been discussing it at TOD:

http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6516

[tekisui]

2. Yeah. And, they still haven't brought back the view of the end of the riser.

They cut away from that view to put it on the BOP during the top kill.

They only just Tuesday gave us the first look at the BOP, and at that time the flow from the leak was the brownish-color we have seen the last two days. The BOP leak NEVER showed black.

I'd be willing to bet the end of the riser pipe is still gushing black. But, if they showed that, they couldn't call it the successful mud that they injected.

[Junkdrawer]

3. When they started the pumping, there was a big increase in the flow....

That increase seems to continue even when they stopped pumping. So far, it seems to me that they've made the leak worse.

[thewiseguy]

4. So the material that has been gushing out is oil????!?!!

:wow: :grr: :grr:

I thought they said everything was going according to the plan!!!

[Junkdrawer]

5. BP STILL says it's going according to the plan....

Include failure in your plan and you can say that....

That's what I mean by "BP speak".

[gmoney]

6. Who's to say what the plan really is?

Stop. Perpetuate. There are corporate upsides to both, no doubt.

[tekisui]

8. The leak at the BOP has always been that brownish color.

Here is the first avaliable image of the BOP leak. It was released on Tuesday, before the top kill even started.

It is the last video. Look at the color, we have been watching a different angle than this one during top kill:

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/05/20/94581/low-estimate-of-oil-spills-size.html#ixzz0p2K9xYzn

The end of the riser pipe always flowed that deep black, yet we no longer have a live stream to that leak. They cut it since before top kill began.

[Junkdrawer]

12. Betcha that is gushing like crazy now....

Top Kill I has probably eroded the BOP wide open.

[tekisui]

13. I was surprised when no one seemed concerned about the switch-a-roo

camera views. For days we watched the riser pipe end. Then, just before it is time for something to actually happen, the switch to the BOP leak.

This is all more PR. Maybe, they are now only giving us the brown-leak view, because it doesn't look as bad as the deep black view coming out of the pipe end.

I bet you are right. I bet it is gushing stronger out of the pipe end. I am really curious to see if the color has changed at all on the pipe end, because it hasn't at the BOP.

[CoffeeCat]

7. Am I the only one who is confused?

Ok, maybe I risk sounding like a dunderhead, but what is the big, ploom-y leak
that is all over tv/internet?

I thought they were flowing mud down a tube that was flowing into the leak site. I thought
the goal was to eventually stop the flow of oil, by blocking the oil with the weight and
pressure of the mud.

So what's the leak that we're viewing?

Sorry...I do have a college degree, but I didn't take any engineering classes. :crazy:

[Junkdrawer]

9. Oil. And it's worse now. n/t

[CoffeeCat]

14. Why is it worse now?

Does the leak appear to be releasing more oil?

Could this top kill procedure worsen the situation, in any way?

I was afraid of an explosion, but it doesn't appear that this is happening.

I also wonder about the chemistry of all of this. If oil is mixing with
this "mud"--could the oil and mud adhere to each other and form something
even worse than oil--a heavy, more-sticky sludge?

Sorry for all of the questions. I'm just learning as I go.

[tekisui]

10. They claim mud, but it doesn't look any different than what was called

oil before the top kill started.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/05/20/94581/low-estimate-of-oil-spills-size.html#ixzz0p2K9xYzn

The last video shows the first image of the BOP leak, released recently, before top kill.

[Urban Prairie]

11. Plan?!?

There ain't no plan!!