Riser Gas Research: Preventing Tragedy

College of Engineering

Riser gas behavior was a major factor in the Deepwater Horizon disaster in April 2010, where an uncontrolled blowout on the Macondo well caused explosions that killed 11 people, sank the offshore rig and led to a hydrocarbon release in the Gulf of Mexico, damaging the environment. To address the risks of riser gas in offshore drilling, Dr. Wesley Williams, a professional in residence at the Craft & Hawkins Department of Petroleum Engineering at Louisiana State University (LSU), and Dr. Jerome …