What other methods did BP use to stop the oil leak in the Gulf and what method finally worked?

On the afternoon of May 26, BP technicians fired up pumps rated at a total of 30,000 horsepower and began shooting heavy drilling mud into the well. In addition, the BP team fired “junk shots”—a mix of golf balls, rubber balls and other detritus—in a bid to slow the oil flow.

How did they stop the BP oil spill?

Temporary closure. On July 15, 2010, BP announced that it had successfully plugged the oil leak using a tightly fitted cap. The cap, weighing 75 tons and standing 30 feet (9.1 m) high, is now bolted to the failed blowout preventer. It consists of a Flange Transition Spool and a 3 Ram Stack and is a temporary solution.

What were some physical methods used to clean up the BP oil spill?

Some of the few important and commonly used methods can be explained as follows:

• Using Oil Booms. The use of oil booms is a straightforward and popular method of controlling oil spills.
• Using Skimmers.
• Using Sorbents.
• Burning In-situ.
• Using Dispersants.
• Hot Water and High-Pressure Washing.
• Using Manual Labour.
• Bioremediation.

How is static kill different from top kill?

In a recent technical update, Kent Wells, BP senior vice-president, said the key difference between top kill and static kill is that during the top kill the well was flowing. “We had to pump at tremendous rates and pressures to overcome that,” he said.

How much oil did BP spill?

The BP Deepwater Horizon catastrophe in 2010 spilled 205.8 million gallons of oil and 225,000 tons of methane into the Gulf of Mexico. Only about 25 percent of the oil was recovered, leaving more than 154 million gallons of oil at sea.

Who fixed Deepwater Horizon?

BP
BP closed off the well on July 15, and for the first time in 87 days no oil flowed into the Gulf of Mexico. It would take two more months before BP completed a relief well to divert oil to the surface, which it had begun drilling in early May, and permanently sealed the spewing reservoir.

Who cleaned up the BP oil spill?

In all, an estimated 1,100 miles (1,770 km) of shoreline were polluted. The various cleanup efforts were coordinated by the National Response Team, a group of government agencies headed by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

What are dispersants and why are they used on oil spills?

Dispersants are chemicals that are sprayed on a surface oil slick to break down the oil into smaller droplets that more readily mix with the water. Dispersants do not reduce the amount of oil entering the environment, but push the effects of the spill underwater.

What is a static kill?

What is static kill? Static kill is, in many respects, simply a reprise of top kill, which failed in late May. The idea is to force a heavy, synthetic fluid called drilling mud down the gullet of the well from valves on the blowout preventer device that sits atop the well.