science

Kab 101

Kab 101 is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Kab 101 rather than just read about it. In short: Kab 101 is a Sea Pony-type minimum-facilities light-production oil platform operated by Mexican state-owned oil company PEMEX, and installed about 26 kilometres (16 mi) off the coast of Tabasco, near the port of Dos Bocas, in 1994. The platform was designed by British engineering firm SLP Engineering Limited.

Key takeaways

Kab 101 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Kab 101 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Kab 101 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Kab 101 is a Sea Pony-type minimum-facilities light-production oil platform operated by Mexican state-owned oil company PEMEX, and installed about 26 kilometres (16 mi) off the coast of Tabasco, near the port of Dos Bocas, in 1994. The platform was designed by British engineering firm SLP Engineering Limited. The platform also produces the wells Kab 103 and Kab 121. This platform was the site of the accident which eventually led to the death of 22 workers. Pemex would contract two independent studies and one by itself and in an exercise of transparency, posted the reports on its website. On October 31, 2008, PEMEX released the result of the independent studies of the accident.

Usumacinta accident timeline October 21, 2007: The jackup rig Usumacinta is moved to the location of Kab 101 to prepare for work on the well Kab 103. October 23, 2007, 0700: The arrival of Cold Front No. 4 with winds exceeding 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph) causes all personnel on the rig to cease operations. 08:00 – 11:00: The Usumacinta begins moving with the 8 metres (26 ft) seas, because its ballast and anchor points have not been properly set. 11:30: The Usumacinta's auxiliary cover below its cantilever collides with the wellhead Kab 121, which begins leaking oil and gas. 11:40 – 13:55: The crew of the Usumacinta attempts to close the sub-surface storm valves for both Kab 101 and the leaking Kab 121, to prevent further danger to the people on board the platform. This is only temporarily successful at stopping the leak from Kab 121. 15:30: The storm valves on Kab 121 fail and hydrogen sulfide is detected, prompting the order to evacuate the platform. 15:45: All 73 people from the platform were accounted for in the two lifeboats, and were wearing life jackets.

Lifeboat #1 Around 16:13 the lifeboat began to fill with water. This eventually led to the lifeboat crew becoming panicked and attempting to leave the lifeboat, in an attempt to board the M/V Morrison Tide. The lifeboat eventually capsized around 17:28, and a collision between the two lifeboats left most of Lifeboat #1's occupants drifting in the water. Two crew members from the Morrison Tide were lost in rescue operations; one died from injuries and another was lost at sea. Some survivors were also rescued by the M/V Isla Del Torro. The lifeboat eventually drifted ashore east of Nuevo Campechito with nobody on board.

Lifeboat #2 This lifeboat started out with poor visibility due to the oil from the leaking well Kab 121. The hatches were opened so the helmsman could see, and to allow for ventilation due to several people complaining of dizziness inside. At 17:42 the lifeboat was struck by a huge wave, and overturned. 33 to 35 people were trapped and had to fight to escape the boat. The next day Lifeboat #2 reached the shore west of Nuevo Progreso upside down, with 12 survivors on top, and one survivor and four bodies inside.

Well control and aftermath An early estimate of the oil leak from Kab 121 was 67 cubic metres (422 bbl) per day of light crude. In December 2007 Pemex estimated that 1,380 m3 (8,701 bbl) of leaked oil were recovered with another 790 m3 (5,000 bbl) remaining in the environment. On November 13, during attempts to control the leaks resulting from the accident, the well Kab 121 ignited and was brought under control the same day. On the 20th of November, Kab 121 ignited again, this time the fire destroyed the remains of the Derrick and was controlled on December 3.

Scrappers On August 4, 2008, another fire was extinguished on the Usumacinta. This fire is suspected to have been caused by scrappers attempting to steal from the abandoned rig. This blaze was extinguished by the ships “Isla Guadalupe”, “Isla Cozumel”, “Pionero”, “Conquistador”, and "Deep Endeavour". The Mexican Navy also sent the interceptor "Auriga" to the area at the request of PEMEX.

Notes

External links Complete Battelle Report of the Accident (in Spanish) Official Pemex photos (in Spanish) Usumacinta accident article MEXICO: Oil Rig Accident Kills 18 Early ABC News article. Pemex Probes Usumacinta Accident Rigzone article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Kab 101

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Kab 101 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Kab 101 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Kab 101 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Kab 101

In research: Kab 101 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Kab 101 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Kab 101 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1994 establishments in Mexico, 2007 disasters in Mexico, 2007 industrial disasters, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Kab 101 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Kab 101 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Kab 101 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Kab 101 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kab 101 in simple terms?

Why does Kab 101 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Kab 101?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Kab 101.