BP scientists try to make sense of well puzzle
Thad Allen
No immediate leaks were spotted  which was encouraging. But midway through the testing period on the new temporary cap that was bottling up the crude inside the well  the pressure readings were not rising as high as expected  said retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen  the government's point man on the crisis.
 Allen said two possible reasons were being debated by scientists: The reservoir that is the source of the oil could be running lower than expected three months into the spill. Or there could be an undiscovered leak somewhere down in the well. Allen ordered further study but remained confident.
 "This is generally good news " he said. But he cautioned  "We need to be careful not to do any harm or create a situation that cannot be reversed."
 He said the testing would go on into the night  at which point BP may decide whether to reopen the cap and allow some oil to spill into the sea again.
 Pressure readings after 24 hours were about 6 700 pounds per square inch and rising slowly  Allen said  below the 7 500 psi that would clearly show the well was not leaking. He said pressure continued to rise between 2 and 10 psi per hour. A low pressure reading  or a falling one  could mean the oil is escaping.
 But Allen he said a seismic probe of the surrounding sea floor found no sign of a leak in the ground.
No immediate leaks were spotted  which was encouraging. But midway through the testing period on the new temporary cap that was bottling up the crude inside the well  the pressure readings were not rising as high as expected  said retired Coast Guard Adm. [TGT]  the government's point man on the crisis.
 [TGT] said two possible reasons were being debated by scientists: The reservoir that is the source of the oil could be running lower than expected three months into the spill. Or there could be an undiscovered leak somewhere down in the well. [TGT] ordered further study but remained confident.
 "This is generally good news " [TGT] said. But [TGT] cautioned  "We need to be careful not to do any harm or create a situation that cannot be reversed."
 [TGT] said the testing would go on into the night  at which point BP may decide whether to reopen the cap and allow some oil to spill into the sea again.
 Pressure readings after 24 hours were about 6 700 pounds per square inch and rising slowly  [TGT] said  below the 7 500 psi that would clearly show the well was not leaking. [TGT] said pressure continued to rise between 2 and 10 psi per hour. A low pressure reading  or a falling one  could mean the oil is escaping.
 But [TGT] [TGT] said a seismic probe of the surrounding sea floor found no sign of a leak in the ground.