Petroleum Engineering Professor Finds Fault In BP Rig Testing

By Kyle LaFleur

According to Dr. John Rogers Smith, associate professor in Louisiana State University’s Department of Petroleum Engineering, a negative pressure safety test on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig was plagued with problems.

“When they opened the drill string, fluid would continue to flow back rather than stopping which would be indicative that there was a seal,” Smith said during a hearing with the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling “When they then closed the drill string to stop that flow out from the drill string pressure built back up indicating that there were fluids leaking into the well repressurizing the system.” 

Smith said that the test was not run properly.  He described the drill pipe and kill line as two straws going into the same vessel that should have been filled with the same fluid.

“If the test had been ready to conduct as planned, the pressures on the kill line and the drill pipe should have been equal always.  They never achieved that,” said Smith.