RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:Kawa News FlowSporty, Kevin Lacey said that they pushed the mud system to the limits when they weighted-up to kill the kick in the Coniacian at TD at Kawa. Probably synthetic based mud (parrafin based). To take the mud to it's pumpable limits it probably had a density of around 18 to 19 ppg. So we're talking formation pressures of around 18,000 psi in the Coniacian at Kawa. They didn't want to make any mistakes there so they took their time.
Wei didn't penetrate the Coniacian. I don't know the mud weight that they drilled the Santonian at. Someone mentioned 15.4 ppg while drilling Kawa. So assuming 15.4 ppg for Wei Santonian we're talking around 16,000 psi formation pressure. So they won't want to mess around with that and will take their time as well. Don't want another Deepwater Horizon.
Before anybody jumps on me, yes I know that the Discoverer's BOPs are only good to 15,000 psi. They'll never see 15,000 psi even with a hole filled with Coniacian oil coming in at 18,000 psi. The hydrostatic head of the oil column in the hole will counteract at least 7,000 psi of the 18,000 psi leaving only 11,000 psi acting on the BOPs so we're good.
On Macondo they displaced the well from high density mud to seawater when the cement plugs were still wet. They hadn't set yet. They might as well have not even been there. The formation oil surged into the well bore at pressures and velocities so high that it started blowing drill string out of the hole. You cannot shut in the BOPs against drill pipe moving at 100 miles per hour.