Page 11 - Rig Explosion News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Hydraulic system and obviously something that wasn't configured right, tony. we should tell you that these are obviously very much preliminary findings in this congressional investigation and even members of congress here admitting that they raised perhaps more questions than answers. but i think it sounds like we are getting perhaps towards some answers. >> i think you're right. brianna, you said the well may have failed two crucial -- i believe you said pressure tests. why is that so important? and take some time to walk us through this. >> reporter: they've been doing a lot of explaining in...

During this hearing. first off, that this well before the explosion may have failed two crucial pressure tests. the other thing, that the safety shutoff device, that blowout preventer, we've heard referred to as the bop here in the last couple of days, was not working properly before the explosion. listen to what congressman henry waxman who is the chairman of this full committee, said at the beginning of this hearing. >> transocean, one of the world's largest operator of drilling rigs, says it has no reason to believe that the rig's fail-safe device, called a blowout preventer, was not fully ...

Clean up the gulf of mexico after last month's rig explosion killed 11 people. states could get the chance to veto off-shore drilling. that's a provision in a new climate bill unveiled tomorrow by senators john kerry and joe lieberman. glenn beck returns in a moment but first, bret baier previews "special report". >> bret: hi, coming up. how will having a new prime minister in great britain affect the u.s.-british relations and what a difference a month makes. now afghan president hamid karzai getting the red carpet treatment here. join me in 25 minutes for "special report" now. back to glenn....

And releases it. that is the culprit that is stopping up this funnel from stopping this leak in the bottom of the ocean. >> so i understand they've considered using a smaller dome. how would that be any better? >> an interesting question. the reason it would be better perhaps, the researcher tells me, it might allow them to focus a heat sources around here to prevent those crystals from clogging the spout. but fire ice is a tricky thing. vast beds of this stuff on the ocean floor can become highly volatile if either the pressure or the temperature equation is upset. reverting to pure gas all a...

And erupting toward the surface. that means, for instance, if you had a ship right up here, you could have the gas coming up like this. if it went to the top and was ignited, you could have a massive explosion up here. but there is another possibility and that could even be worse. this is one of the theories of what happened in the original rig explosion. they had a methane explosion like this. just as bad, the surface could also become as this gas was released an unstable mass of water mixed with bubbles of gas. and it could become so unstable, no kidding, that a ship like this could simply b...