Category Archives: Macondo incident
University of Macondo: The Need for a Continuing Conversation
Written on , by Mexico Energy Intelligence
MEI 793 University of Macondo: The Need for a Continuing Conversation HOUSTON — The continuing importance of the Macondo blowout and oil spill of 2010 lies not only in the need to better understand the physical and social science of the incident; it also lies in the need for stakeholders in petroleum provinces where there are Continue Reading
Interview with Ronald Sweatman
Written on , by Mexico Energy Intelligence
Interview with Ronald Sweatman How the formation fluids entered the Macondo wellbore In this interview, Ron Sweatman, a Houston-based scientist-engineer with 44 patents in the areas of cementing and fracking, explains how the premature setting of the casing seal assembly set in motion a sequence of events in the fluid mechanics of the drilling fluids Continue Reading
The Macondo cement job revisited
Written on , by Mexico Energy Intelligence
The Macondo cement job revisited An interview with Ronald E. Sweatman MEI INTERVIEW NO. 11 (HOUSTON) — On the day of the Macondo blowout, April 20, 2010, Ron Sweatman was working in Europe as a Halliburton technical consultant. Upon his return to Houston, he soon was seconded to join in a joint task force of Continue Reading
Macondo Wellbore Influx
Written on , by Mexico Energy Intelligence
Macondo Wellbore Influx Findings and recommendations from a forensic analysis MEI REPORT NO. 789 (HOUSTON) — This report presents a fresh perspective on the undetected entry into the Macondo wellbore of formation fluids on April 20, 2010. The report draws on an extended interview with Ronald E. Sweatman, who, with others, modeled the likely effects Continue Reading
The Root Cause of the Macondo Blowout
Written on , by Mexico Energy Intelligence
A faulty understanding of fluid mechanics under static conditions PUBLIC POLICY PERSPECTIVE No. 10032 (HOUSTON) — Uncounted hours of discussions with industry sources about the Macondo accident have given us material for several reports. This present report, prepared as a public service, sets forth a fresh interpretation of the root cause of why hydrocarbons entered Continue Reading
Post-Macondo? Not so fast!
Written on , by Mexico Energy Intelligence
1) Industry wants to forget the word “Macondo.” Where you find the term used, it is typically preceded by “post,” as in “post-Macondo developments.” 2) The new buzz word for post-Macondo consciousness is “integrity,” which appears repeatedly in oil industry conferences. 3) Industry believes (mistakenly, we say) that better safety will come principally, if not Continue Reading
The Macondo accident: 2010-14
Written on , by Mexico Energy Intelligence
We have prepared a title list of 4 years of reporting by Mexico Energy Intelligence (MEI) on the Deepwater Horizon/Macondo accident of 2010. During this time, neither the government nor industry has taken ownership of the role of human error in the unfolding of that accident. Evidence? People still talk about “Stop Work Authority,” as Continue Reading