Gulf Oil Spill...

[noonereal]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

That would suck.

I am confident that controlling the flow is more important than shutting it down for BP and that this has been the cause of so many delays.

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by noonereal

I am confident that controlling the flow is more important than shutting it down for BP and that this has been the cause of so many delays.

Your suspicion is understandable and, generally, I share it but in this instance I think the concerns of control and cessation are one and the same. A fuck-up now could mean that the blowout becomes unstoppable.

John

[noonereal]

Originally Posted by Boreas

Your suspicion is understandable and, generally, I share it but in this instance I think the concerns of control and cessation are one and the same. A fuck-up now could mean that the blowout becomes unstoppable.

John

You know how much i respect you John but I just don't buy it.
They could have blown it closed long ago, IMHO.

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by noonereal

You know how much i respect you John but I just don't buy it.
They could have blown it closed long ago, IMHO.

Blowing it ran the substantial risk of opening up cracks in the strata which would have let the oil escape unchecked from numerous places on the sea floor. I suspect that it would have also run the risk of doing seismic damage to other rigs in the neighborhood.

John

[noonereal]

Originally Posted by Boreas

Blowing it ran the substantial risk of opening up cracks in the strata which would have let the oil escape unchecked from numerous places on the sea floor. I suspect that it would have also run the risk of doing seismic damage to other rigs in the neighborhood.

John

yes, i heard this STORY

do I seem cynical?

[Charles]

Originally Posted by noonereal

yes, i heard this STORY

do I seem cynical?

Perhaps.

I, for one, will defer to the people who do this for a living. I think that nothing would please BP more that to finally put this one to bed. I also wish them the best of luck.

Chas

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by noonereal

yes, i heard this STORY

do I seem cynical?

Yes, I for one have seen first hand what sufficient explosive power can do and I will defer to the experts on this one. BP just received another large bill from the government for cleanup, I would imagine that they do not welcome them.

[piece-itpete]

Ah, the methane planetkilling scenario.

I thought we already all died when they started up the supercollider.

Pete

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by Sandy G

I STILL don't think they (BP, the Goobermint, et al) REALLY know what they're doing. But at least they're TRYING stuff now...Why do I think they've got a VERY large & angry Tiger by a very short tail ?

+1

John

[BlueStreak]

Originally Posted by Boreas

Your suspicion is understandable and, generally, I share it but in this instance I think the concerns of control and cessation are one and the same. A fuck-up now could mean that the blowout becomes unstoppable.

John

Right. At well over 9,000 p.s.i. on a 22" pipe (>380 sq.in. opening.) you would have 3,420,000 pounds or approximately 1710 tons of pressure pressing against a the cap. Simply attempting to stop that kind of pressure instantly could be a big mistake. As I understand it, they are using two valves, a "kill valve" and another valve. The idea being to slowly reduce the flow. As the volume slows, the pressure will rise as they are inversely proportional. This allows them them to raise the pressure slowly while inspecting the pipe and sea bed for other potential leaks.

In short form; If you just simply slap the thing shut, you run the risk of blowing larger holes God only knows where else, ending up with a totally hopeless situation.

Dave