BP installs sealing cap in Gulf of Mexico

The company is now preparing to begin an integrity test of the leaking well over a minimum of six hours to a maximum of two days.

This weekend, the company announced that it had began installation of the new seal by removing the damaged lower marine riser package (LMRP) cap from the Deepwater Horizon’s failed blow-out preventer with the use of robotic submarines.

A ‘transition spool’ was installed and bolted onto the remaining flange on the blow-out preventer early yesterday. Over night, BP lowered a new stack of valves, known as a capping stack, on top of the transition spool and sealed it together. These valves will be designed to gradually close, allowing them to either shut off the flow of oil or divert it to pipes connected to collection ships on the surface.

During the integrity test, the capping stack will be closed and all sub-sea containment systems will be temporarily suspended, effectively shutting in the well.