Comments on: DeepWater Horizon

By: mad Albanian

mad Albanian — Wed, 26 May 2010 03:03:20 +0000

Mark,

The idea is very simple indeed and it works.
I did create once an ice plug on a 500mm dimeter pipe with 2000m3/h of water flowing through it and no isolation valves to isolate the leak. You just build a casing around the pipe and inject liquid nitrogen from a std bottlle on one side of the casing and vent it on the other. It took around 8 hours to have the complete plug formed but it is eazy to make the calculations and very simple to try. Oil has a much higher viscosity at lower temperatures and it will be much easier than water to stop the flow by freezing I would imagine.
Anyway, I would guess if it was so simple they must have thought about it, but having worked in some of those coorporation, nothing would surprise me, since MBA have replaced engineers on most coorporate managment levels, the ideas travel very slow from bottom to the top and most on the top dont have a clue about them.

By: Investradamus

Investradamus — Wed, 26 May 2010 02:12:38 +0000

Here’s some pretty pictures and a youtube animation explanation of the top kill from the oildrum via clusterstock:

“Here Is Everything You Need To Know About BP’s Dramatic “Top Kill” Bid To Halt The Oil Leak”
http://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-a-top-kill-2010-5

By: Mark E Hoffer

Mark E Hoffer — Tue, 25 May 2010 22:20:03 +0000

mad Albanian,

that’s an interesting idea, re: cryogenics, see..

http://clusty.com/search?input-form=clusty-simple&v%3Asources=webplus&query=cryogenic+piping

whay kind of delivery system were you envisioning?

also, #4 in last link, below..Developments In Subsea Pipe Freezing For Deepwater Applications
Developments In Subsea Pipe Freezing For Deepwater Applications INTRODUCTION Pipe … system using a heat exchanger to cool a secondary cryogenic medium, allowing freezing to take …
~~
http://www.mms.gov/tarprojects/index.htm
http://clusty.com/search?input-form=clusty-simple&v%3Asources=webplus&query=cryogenic+piping+freezing+deepwater+blowouts

By: mad Albanian

mad Albanian — Tue, 25 May 2010 20:14:30 +0000

I doubt it will work, there are so many sealings to take care of!
Why on earth they dont try to freeze the oil flow by using liquid nitrogen is beyond me. It is nowhere as risky or costly of what they are trying to do and has far more chances of succeeding.
It shows that big corporation have become paralised by their own big inner bureauracy just as the goverments and all creativity is chocked to death by layers and layers of incompetent managers.

By: dan10400

dan10400 — Tue, 25 May 2010 19:33:21 +0000

I guess it could stop spewing when it empties – about 98M barrels later.

I question how they are just going to be able to force mud down the BOP for a top-kill. Usually, they
would have the advantage of 5000′ of mud in the riser aiding in this process.

By: The Curmudgeon

The Curmudgeon — Tue, 25 May 2010 19:27:37 +0000

I bet the oil quits spewing on its own before they get any of this stuff in place. I mean, it does have to quit spewing eventually, doesn’t it? I imagine BP would love to get beyond petroleum about now.

By: Transor Z

Transor Z — Tue, 25 May 2010 19:21:13 +0000

@seana0325:

:-)

http://feynman.com/

“For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled.”

-Richard Feynman

By: seana0325

seana0325 — Tue, 25 May 2010 19:14:27 +0000

This talk of O-rings, & sealers is reminding me of another disaster …

By: Transor Z

Transor Z — Tue, 25 May 2010 19:09:04 +0000

Ooh, that there picture is real purty and engineer-y like.

Here’s a partial list of other things I wouldn’t let those assholes anywhere near:

-digging a septic system
-installing an in-ground pool
-rebuilding Iraq
-repaving a street
-NASA
-my kids’ Lego set
-offering me fries with that

By: Hit the Reset button

Hit the Reset button — Tue, 25 May 2010 18:20:16 +0000

Interesting, I always wondered how all that worked.