BP (NYSE:BP) has started the process of killing off the Macondo oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, and there are a number of steps they have to take before successfully accomplishing the task.
In this article we'll talk about the first step, which sets the stage for the rest.
On Thursday pressure testing began, which deals with finding out if the equipment on top of well has in fact been sealed. That includes the blowout preventer, which many assume is the cause of the ordeal in the first place.
Concern over damaging the damaged blowout preventer is what has been the major cause of the delay in proceeding with operations. If it is damaged by the bottom kill, there could be a lot of difficulty proving what other damage may have happened before.
Before starting the test, BP flushed or cleaned out the equipment and injected seawater into it in order to check whether the pressure inside is the same as that which is beneath the surface of the Gulf.
What that did is determine if the "top kill" did completely seal the well on August 5. This is important because of the possibility the approximate 1,000 barrels of oil still inside the well could be pushed out into the Gulf from the bottom kill procedures and if the equipment on top of the well is removed.
This test should last for two days.
Government representative Thad Allen must give approval for each step of the bottom kill process.
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