OT-- Plumbing the Gulf oil containment box?

Frank (N.Mi.) · May 7, 2010

OK I'm curious. I read somewhere that the pressure at the leaking well was somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000psi. I'm guessing that the box that is now sitting over it must be venting the oil somewhere through a valve that can be shut off once the hose to the surface is connected and opened? I'd like to see a pic or something but can't find anything. Probably because this a new concept huh?

msb · May 7, 2010

Think the plan is to hook a 5/8" garden hose to it. lol.

Lloyd In South Carolina · May 7, 2010

Swan hose. Life time warrantee still apply if used in salt water? LOL

Mike (WA) · May 7, 2010

Was thinking about this today, for better or for worse. If its leaking 5,000 gallons a day, from what I would assume would be at least a 6" casing, the pressure would be somewhere between "seep" and "ooze", not 10,000 psi. Can somebody smarter than me do a calculation on what pressure would result in 5,000 gallons per day coming from a 6 inch pipe? Or how many gallons you would get at 10,000 PSI?

Don-Wi · May 7, 2010

I think it's 5,000 barrels, not gallons. 5,000 gallons would be no big deal to an oil company.

Donovan from Wisconsin

john in la · May 7, 2010

This is not a new concept BUT it has never been used this deep before. It is very risky to try but they need to try something.

The containment box is built to where more than one hose can be hooked to it because they are going to have to pump surface water down into the box and suck it and the oil back out threw another hose. The reason for this is at this depth the natural gas in the oil may freeze and clog the hose if warmer surface water is not pumped in.

You can not figure the leak by the size of the pipe. The blow out presenter did partially close and the mud cap they were installing during the accident is still in place. It is just that it is not fully closed. The leak is estimated at 5000 barrels per day and that is just a trickle of what this well could be dumping if it was running wide open.

T_Bone · May 7, 2010

Hi Mike,

5000barrels/day is:
5000x40=200000/24/60=138.9gpm

Crude oil is figured at 40gal=barrel if I remember correct. The oil mans new math??? I think it was 44gal=barrel then they changed it a few years back.

Pressure at 18000ft would be; 18000/2.31=7792psi, so you would need a 7900psi pump to cause flow at the surface with pipe flow resistance. If any in-line vavles were installed, then more pressure would be required.

That's a ruff figure as there's to many unkowns that's not in the calculations. We would need to consult a crude oil Engineer for the actual facts. Where art thou engineer ?

T_Bone

IHC Red · May 8, 2010

<a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=oil+containment+box&btnG=+Google+">click for: Google Oil containment box stories and links...</a>

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Anonymous-0 · May 8, 2010

42 T bone

Frank (N.Mi.) · May 8, 2010

Good pics Red. I've never seen the first one before. It does look like multiple hookups on that side of it, as John said. Makes more sense now. I wonder if the pumping in of surface water could cause some of the bottom silt to be pumped out also, causing some settling of the box...As has been said lots of things will affect how well this goes.

OT-- Plumbing the Gulf oil containment box?

Frank (N.Mi.)

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msb

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Lloyd In South Carolina

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Mike (WA)

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Don-Wi

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john in la

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T_Bone

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IHC Red

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Anonymous-0

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Frank (N.Mi.)

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