COMP 2903A27 – The BP Oils Spill:

Could Software be a Culprit?Danny Silver

JSOCS, Acadia University

Don Shafer and Phillip A. LaplanteIT Professional from the IEEE Computer Society, Aug 19, 2010

• Funny errors -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6p0Zodyx4M

Deepwater Horizon Disaster

Software Failures on Oil Rigs

• Mishandled alarms because of user interface• Untested portions of code• Frozen screens (op. system, app. glitches)• Lack of audit trails (recording of data/user

actions)

• Is it possible that the Deepwater Horizon was caused by software?

Evidence?

• Transocean’s interim report to House of Rep. on June 8, 2010 stated that a full control-system software review was needed

• July 19, 2010 article in Houston Chronicle: “display screens on the primary workstation used to operate the drill controls .. had locked up more than once before the deadly accicent”

Speculation – What could have Happened?

• Rigs have numerous software subsystems• Variations in hardware, firmware, operating

systems, and applications can cause problems similar to that on your laptops

• Engineers make best efforts to test/ retest• Hardware and software interfaces are the

weakest links• Industry lacks standards in these areas

Mishandled Software Alarms

• Alarms are not acted on because:– They are not properly prioritized– There are so many (50 in 10 minutes), the minor

ones cry wolf• Calibration errors• Flooding errors

Possible feal failures that could have caused the DH Disaster

• Buried Alarm– Driller misinterprets “Mud Trip Tank Overflow” alarm as

some other minor alarm and clears it

• Missed Alarm– Mud pump fails, but operator considers alarm is because of

sensor problem– Software interface so cluttered that user fails to notice

details in alarm that point to true cause

• Alarm Calibration Error– No alarms existed for detecting unusually high flow and

vibration levels in pipes and pumps

Worlds Worst Software Bugs

• http://www.wired.com/software/coolapps/news/2005/11/69355?currentPage=all