The cement mix sealing BP’s Macondo well failed pressure tests that Halliburton disregarded. Failure of the cement casing is considered a probable reason for the Deepwater Horizon explosion and subsequent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico 2010. The Justice Department is considering action against Halliburton depending on the findings of a presidential oil spill commission.
Cement being unstable nothing new to Halliburton
Those investigating the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history have found that Halliburton made the decision to use cement that had been unstable. According to the Associated Press, this isn't what Halliburton said before. They were saying that the cement was proven to be stable via tests that were done. The disaster has caused companies to start blaming each other one one more. Halliburton and BP are two of these companies. BP has maintained the cement mixture failed to keep oil and gas from blowing out the Macondo well. The response Halliburton gives is that the well design and drilling operation by BP are to blame.
Stop oil blowouts only with the cement
In order to reach the oil under the ocean floor, the cement mixture has to be used to secure a metal casing around pipes and also the drill bit. This is the cement that the oil spill commission is investigating. Oil and gas should be prevented from leaving the well with the cement also. The Los Angeles Times reports that in a section of the Macondo well 13,000 feet under the ocean floor, BP chose to use a cement mixture made and recommended by Halliburton. However, getting the right mix can be hit and miss, and also the cement must be tested frequently for stability.
Halliburton cement fails every test
The oil spill commission sent samples of the Halliburton cement recipe to a Chevron laboratory for testing. The Halliburton mixture was put through nine tests in order to mimic the BP well conditions which all failed, reports the newest York Times. Because of this, the oil spill within the Gulf of Mexico 2010 has data that "strongly suggests" that Halliburton cement had been part of the problem the commission said. The disaster didn't take out all of the cement on the Macondo well. A little bit is being kept as evidence for when the criminal investigation needs it.
Articles cited
Associated Press
google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5igahXC3SkTTf2b4nKNp9VZuv6Mew?docId=505ad7273f504a769b2da63b5fb4332
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Los Angeles Times
latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-naw-deepwater-cement-20101028,0,2151247.story
New York Times
nytimes.com/2010/10/29/us/29spill.html?src=me
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