Did Deepwater methane hydrates cause the BP Gulf explosion?
Did Deepwater methane hydrates cause the BP Gulf explosion?
Strange and dangerous hydrocarbon offers no room for human error
• In pictures: oil reaches the coast
- guardian.co.uk, Thursday 20 May 2010 11.34 BST
- Article history
The deadly explosion caused 3 million gallons of crude oil to pour into the Gulf. Photograph: KPA/Zuma/Rex Features
The vast deepwater methane hydrate deposits of the Gulf of Mexico are an open secret in big energy circles. They represent the most tantalizing new frontier of unconventional energy — a potential source of hydrocarbon fuel thought to be twice as large as all the petroleum deposits ever known.
For the oil and gas industry, the substances are also known to be the primary hazard when drilling for deepwater oil.
Methane hydrates are volatile compounds — natural gas compressed into molecular cages of ice. They are stable in the extreme cold and crushing weight of deepwater, but are extremely dangerous when they build up inside the drill column of a well. If destabilized by heat or a decrease in pressure, methane hydrates can quickly expand to 164 times their volume.
Survivors of the BP rig explosion told interviewers that right before the April 20 blast, workers had decreased the pressure in the drill column and applied heat to set the cement seal around the wellhead. Then a quickly expanding bubble of methane gas shot up the drill column before exploding on the platform on the ocean’s surface.
Carbon Graveyard
Carbon Graveyard
Almost half the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions have gone missing. Here they are, and here are the amazing implications.
By George Monbiot, published on the Guardian’s website, 5th May 2010
It’s not surprising that neither Labour nor the Tories wanted to run the Guardian’s National Carbon Calculator. Had they done so, they would have had to acknowledge that the figures on which they base their climate change policies are a work of science fiction. The government claims that our total emissions amount to 627 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e). The Tories have never disputed this figure. It’s convenient for both sides to accept this falsehood, and to pretend that the challenge is far smaller than it is.
As the figures pulled together by the calculator team show, the real total (using 2007 figures) should be 950Mt. The government artificially excludes the greenhouse gas emissions caused by the goods we import and the international travel we commission. It’s not hard to see why ministers choose to overlook these figures. If just the outsourced emissions (gases released in producing goods we import) are counted, all the cuts the UK claims to have made since 1990 would be cancelled out – and then some.
BP swamped by criticism
BP swamped by criticism Anna Driver and Matthew Bigg, Reuters May 22, 2010, 6:40 am HOUSTON/VENICE, Louisiana (Reuters) – Anger, scepticism and accusations of lying washed over energy giant BP Plc on Friday as it desperately pursued efforts to contain a month-old seabed well leak billowing crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. Continue Reading →
Out of sight, Out of trouble
Out of Sight, Out of Trouble
A new report shows how the UK could tap into vast renewable resources, without any of the aggro caused by existing wind farms.
By George Monbiot, published on the Guardian’s website, 20th May 2010
Whenever you suggest that renewables could one day supply a large proportion of our electricity, scores of people jump up to denounce it as a pipedream, a fantasy, a dangerous delusion. They insist that the energy resources don’t exist; that the technologies are inefficient; that they can’t be accommodated on the grid; that the variability of supply will cause constant blackouts.
GetUp A Friday Cartoon
From: GetUp! <info@getup.org.au>
Date: Fri, May 21, 2010 at 5:15 PM
Subject: A Friday cartoon
To: nevilleg729@gmail.com
Dear NEVILLE,
This email is a bit different.
No urgent call to arms today: instead, a note of congratulations. GetUp members have been on a roll in recent weeks, creating national headlines and locking in a big victory protecting native forests. Hear about the four ways you’re making an impact. This email is best enjoyed with a cup of tea–here’s hoping it brightens up your Friday afternoon.
1 – The views of GetUp members are creating headlines (and cartoon punchlines)
Every Sunday, Barry Cassidy and the panel on ABC Insiders review the political news of the week – the buzz amongst politicians and journalists in Canberra. Last Sunday they opened with a 10-minute conversation about the results of our monthly surveys of GetUp members which is showing a huge dip in the PM’s approval ratings after his backflips on climate change and refugees. And that was just the beginning: GetUp featured in over three dozen news stories this week alone–see below for a full list. This Bill Leak cartoon from Monday’s edition of The Australian is one favourite:
Campbell resigns for ”personal reasons’
Campbell resigns for ‘personal reasons’
Updated
David Campbell has resigned as minister, citing personal reasons. (AAP: Dean Lewins)
Labor MP David Campbell has resigned from his road and transport portfolios, citing personal reasons.
Mr Campbell says the reasons behind his resignation do not relate to his ministerial duties.
However, rumours are circulating of a scandal and sources have told the ABC there was a loud argument in his office this afternoon.
Mr Campbell’s wife has been ill recently, but a statement released by Mr Campbell makes no mention of that.