At least you admit you know nothing

* I’d use the word everything, but you appear to use the english language somewhat properly

A lot of the basic information in this entry is incorrect. Check out information posted on the Dept of the Interior website (http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1985:energy-a-commerce-committee-investigates-deepwater-horizon-rig-oil-spill&catid=122:media-advisories&Itemid=55) for the committee hearings. They have uploaded some documents containing facts such as depth of the well, etc. (although it’s not easy to find since there is a lot of info). Also the Daily Hurricane blog (Energy entries, http://dailyhurricane.com/energy/) has a lot of technical information. The well was drilled to a depth of 18,000 ft (13,000 ft below the sea floor). Dynamic positioning systems are not an unreliable method of positioning rigs, and had nothing to do with this disaster, so I’m not sure why it’s a point here. Lawrence Porter is correct, the pressure in the formation at 18,000 ft MIGHT be as high as 20,000 psi, but at the sea floor the pressure differential is probably about 2,000 psi. You can come up with an estimation yourself knowing that they finished drilling the well with a 15 pound per barrel drilling mud density (and the well was not flowing). They are definitely NOT going to detonate a nuclear bomb down there. As far as toxins in the air and underground blowouts / casing damage, there ARE toxins and there is a danger of complications from an underground blowout. I’m sure sensationalists have exaggerated on both of those points (at least I hope). The EPA has admitted that they are measuring levels of H2S, but it looks like they are reporting levels at 0.1ppm (100ppb). (http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/air.html). They also say that it’s probably not coming from the blown out well, and I tend to agree, because if it was, the concentration at the site of the explosion should be a lot higher, which would be a huge problem for the workers there if they weren’t wearing respirators. I did notice that the website doesn’t have any reports on that site, which is kind of messed up if you ask me.