Testing began today on the failed BOP in a NASA facility in New Orleans.
The BOP can snuff a blowout by squeezing rubber seals tightly around the pipes with up to 1 million pounds of force. If the seals fail, the blowout preventer deploys a last line of defense: a set of rams that can slice right through the pipes and cap the blowout.
Investigators will test the device that was used with BP’s Macondo well will try to determine why it faileddidn’t stop the flow of oil to the sea.