Well Integrity Tests News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Methane gas. despite that news, after three days of tests, thad allen, the government's point man on the spill, sees encouraging signs so the ongoing well integrity tests will continue with potential for additional extensions in 24-hour increments. bp and government officials have extended the testing of that capped well into a fourth day. >> as long as it's holding the pressure that's building inside of it, that's a very, very good sign. >> reporter: the government might still ask bp to open the valves on the stacking cap to begin capturing the oil and siphoning it to ships on the surface. ne...

It's not infinite. there's no new oil coming out there. they're able to make better plans and attack this in a more unified fashion. >> little minor victories here. i think everyone will agree it's nice there's not anymore spewing oil. at least it means capturing the oil in place right now. >> that's exactly right. yeah. it's sort of the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. as we know, even if the well integrity tests come out and they declare the well structurally sound, again, we still have to get the relief well to fully plug the leak itself at the source. but from then on, the gulf c...

In. all the american people should rest assured that all of these decisions will be based on the science and what's best for the people of the gulf. all right? >> let's get to our ed lavendera in new orleans. ed, what is the latest on those well integrity tests? >> reporter: hey, tony. well, so far everything that we're hearing seems to suggest that things are going well. we heard from bp officials this morning where they tell us that the initial hours, the first 14 hours or so, of the integrity test showed no negative effects on the ocean floor and that the pressure readings and gauges that t...

Sayed they, kent wells of bp, well integrity tests are going as planned, and the pressure is rising according to the models. what is going on? >> well, they used the term, kent wells, depletion, and earlier i explained to you what happens when you produce a reservoir, the pressure draws down and then it takes a while for the pressure to come back, but if you deplete it or expend enough of the energy, it will never get back up to the pre-existing state or the high pressure level of 8700 pounds. so the 6700 pound per square inch reading they are getting could mean that the reservoir has lost som...

Earlier this week. and this larger, more sophisticated cap was designed to give us greater control over the oil flow as we complete the relief wells that are necessary to stop the leak. now, our scientists and outside experts have met through the night and continue this morning to analyze the data from the well integrity tests. what they're working to determine is whether we can safely shut in the well using the new cap without creating new problems. including possibly countless new oil leaks in the sea floor. now, even if a shut in is not possible, this new cap and the additional equipment be...