The massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico is a good way to start talking about Telos. The leak and resultant environmental damage is the effect of a failure.
This effect due to a rupture in the pipe leading from the well and a control was in place. The blow out valve (or preventer) is a common, well known piece of equipment to stop a well at its source. It is simply a gate valve that can be actuated remotely. It is powerful enough to cut through a steel pipe.
This valve did not actuate when the rig sank and broke the pipe just above the blow out valve. It was known that only 30% of these valves operated reliably at the depth of this well. There will be a root cause for this failure which can be controlled in the design modification that will come.
However, given the known effectiveness of the blow out valve (control), a program of testing the valves was absolutely required. The frequency of the testing would be driven by the results. If the testing determines that a valve cannot be counted upon, then the well must be capped until an effective is in place.
If there is any question about the ability to actuate the valve remotely, then a manual actuation method must be available. Then, the robots which have been used to try an cap, cut, stuff and film the well, could have simply closed it with the manual actuator.
It is apparent that like all failures. this one was predictable and preventable.
