Well Pipe News Today

Not proceed with the mud and cement from the relief well? >> exactly, andrea. what they are trying to determine is if in doing the static kill when they pump the mud and cement down through the top of the well to kill the well from the top if somehow admiral allen said they were a victim of their own success and they also cemented the well from the bottom. now, you remember that right from the get-go admiral allen said that had to be done to consider this well dead. and the only way to really do...

Pumping pressure, too, and that should have the mud pushing the oil back down through the well pipe, but officials are taking it very slow, very cautious approach and they say even they dont know when the process will be complete. although they say it could involve up to 70 hours of pumping. anderson? >> how do they know theyve reached the goal? how do they know its been stopped? >> reporter: yeah. thats a good question. its in that word static, anderson. theyre taking periodic readings and in c...

That green light at the static kill and so far, anderson, no signs of anything going wrong with it either. >> i should point out, tom, once again, we are reading tea leaves and waiting for press releases from bp because they have continued to refuse -- even though they once said they would do it -- to have some real-time explanation of whats going on in the live picture. correct? >> reporter: exactly. we get periodic updates through press releases or a brief phone conference. thats about it. >> ...

Water. theyre steadily increasing the pumping pressure, too, and that should have the mud pushing the oil back down through the well pipe, but officials are taking it very slow, very cautious approach and they say even though dont know when the process will be complete. although they say it could involve up to 70 hours of pumping. anderson? >> how do they know theyve reached the goal? how do they know its been stopped? >> reporter: yeah. thats a good question. its in that word static, anderson. ...

Approach and they say even they dont know when the process will be complete. although they say it could involve up to 70 hours of pumping. anderson? >> how do they know theyve reached the goal? how do they know its been stopped? >> reporter: yeah. thats a good question. its in that word static, anderson. theyre taking periodic readings and in case -- in this case when we use the word static is not moving. static means not moving. right now, i want to show you this little demonstration here. the ...

I know your truck is down so youve got bad weather to contend with as well. >> reporter: we do. >> is it a tropical storm? >> reporter: number its just a strong storm. weve got a heat advisory here. the weather and all this heat, while its certainly uncomfortable, it shouldnt affect whats going on out at the leak sight. theyre doing whats called an injection test to determine whether or not they can force it back down into the reservoir. if they do that, then theyll start the static kill, and th...

Final pipe casing right now, suzanne, and when they do that and get it cemented in they will go with a static kill. that will happen late sunday or monday. they will put mud down the top of the well thats heavier than the oil thats there right now and hopefully fill the well up. well still need to drill in from the bottom and kill the well from the bottom but at this point it looks like well be able to move ahead. weve got good well integrity and trying to move forward its a positive turn. >> do...

It looks like it will get worse so it can get better. admiral thad allen signed off on a plan by the b.p. enger noose to remove the containment cap that is catching half the gushing oil and replace it with a cap that could theoretically get it all by monday. however, for a couple of days the well will be allowed to gush unabated. jonathan serrie is following the developments and joins us from grand isle. >> reporter: thad allen, national incident commander, said he signed off on the b.p. plan be...

Closing in on the well pipe and the second is just shy of 10,000 feet. while the first well is ahead of schedule neither will be ready until august because the deeper they get the harder it is to drill. theyre aiming at a pipe the width of a dinner plate, miles below the surface. this is clearly no easy task. were learning more about the deaths of two oil recovery workers today. a 55-year-old charter boat captain who was working for bp on the cleanup died of a gunshot wound apparently self-infli...

♪ changing cars in memphis in the sea ♪ >> there on one of the two stages, part of a nearly ten-hour event, its the gulf aid concert under way right now in new orleans. a host of musicians have volunteered their time and their talent to try to raise awareness, try to raise some money for the gulf region. devastated by that oil spill in the gulf. a look at the top stories right now. bp is reporting progress today against that massive oil leak in the gulf of mexico. the company says it is pu...