Engineering News Blog

Engineering News

Latest news of interest to engineers. Sourced from GlobalSpec's Engineering News
Previous in Blog: Museum on Turbines: Learning, Not Earning   Next in Blog: May 20, 1990: Hubble Opens Its Eye ... and Blinks
Close

Comments Format:






Change Mode
Close

Subscribe to Discussion:

CR4 allows you to "subscribe" to a discussion
so that you can be notified of new comments to
the discussion via email.

Close

Rating Vote:







Add Vote
4 comments
Rate Comments: Nested

Scientist: BP's Oil Spill Estimates Improbable

Posted May 20, 2010 7:56 AM

From NPR Topics: Science:

An independent scientist says the Gulf oil spill appears to be even larger than he previously thought, based on analysis of a video released by the Senate. The video shows a dramatic gusher of oil coming from near the well's ill-fated blowout preventer.

Read the whole article

Reply

Interested in this topic? By joining CR4 you can "subscribe" to
this discussion and receive notification when new comments are added.
ronseto
Guru
Technical Fields - Technical Writing - New Member Engineering Fields - Marine Engineering - New Member

Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Vancleave, Ms about 30 miles inland from Biloxi and the coast
Posts: 3197
Good Answers: 106
#1

Re: Scientist: BP's Oil Spill Estimates Improbable

05/21/2010 5:56 PM

Since I'm not an expert on such matters, I refrain from speculating.

That ought to qualify me for a good answer.

__________________
 Mr.Ron from South Ms.
Reply
lighthasmass
Guru
Hobbies - Fishing -

Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Burnt Ranch, State of Jefferson
Posts: 688
Good Answers: 20
#2

Re: Scientist: BP's Oil Spill Estimates Improbable

05/21/2010 10:29 PM

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2010/05/jon-stewart-does-the-bp-oil-spill/

__________________
 “Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it.” -Mark Twain
Reply
Tornado
Guru
Technical Fields - Technical Writing - New Member Engineering Fields - Piping Design Engineering - New Member

Join Date: May 2009
Location: Richland, WA, USA
Posts: 21017
Good Answers: 795
#3

Re: Scientist: BP's Oil Spill Estimates Improbable

05/22/2010 6:51 PM

There are some numbers in this report, but not much arithmetic.

25,000 barrels/day

≈ 729 gpm

≈ 97 cfm

≈ 168,000 in3/min

A 1.2 inch circular opening (leak) has area ~1.13 in2.

Hence V ≈ 149,000 in/min

≈ 12,400 ft/min

≈ 207 ft/sec.

This seems improbably high, so maybe "incomprehensible" is the best word in the report.

__________________
 In vino veritas; in cervisia carmen; in aqua E. coli.
Reply
Anonymous Poster
#4

Re: Scientist: BP's Oil Spill Estimates Improbable

06/16/2010 5:55 PM

What happens to the earth's mantle when such a massive amount of crude oil is being extracted at once. I have always, theoretically, believed that this oil was kinda like a coolant for the inner mantle of the earth. Also, won't this cause shifting in the earth's plates. I think the biggest problem with under sea drilling is that we do not have enough geo-scientific facts and data to know the effects of extracting earth's natural resources.
Reply Off Topic (Score 5)
Reply to Blog Entry
Have a Different Question?
4 comments
Copy to Clipboard

Users who posted comments:

Anonymous Poster (1); lighthasmass (1); ronseto (1); Tornado (1)

Previous in Blog: Museum on Turbines: Learning, Not Earning   Next in Blog: May 20, 1990: Hubble Opens Its Eye ... and Blinks

Advertisement

Got Something to Say?
Ask a Question
Start a Discussion

Search this Section
General Discussion:
Go

Search this Blog
Engineering News:
Go

Recent Blog Entries

CR4 Sections
Aerospace
BioMech & BioMed
Chemical & Material Science
Civil Engineering
Communications & Electronics
Education and Engineering Careers
Electrical Engineering
General Discussion
Instrumentation
Manufacturing
Mechanical Engineering
New Technologies & Research
Software & Programming
Sustainable Engineering
Transportation

Site Directories
Forum Directory
Blog Directory
User Group Directory
RSS Feeds

CR4 Rules of Conduct
CR4 FAQ
Site Glossary

Who's Online (103 right now)
Show Members
Advertisement