In fact, such top kills had worked to control other wells in the past, albeit not those some 1,500 meters beneath the ocean surface. (scientificamerican.com)
Chu killed top kill on May 28, worried that BP's efforts would cause a subsurface blowout and make the gusher impossible to control. (scientificamerican.com)
The Q4000, which had pumped the mud for top kill, had specially designed flares for oil and gas that enabled BP to burn off as much as 10,000 barrels a day — bringing the total amount of oil prevented from flowing into the sea to as much as 25,000 barrels a day at times. (scientificamerican.com)