Oil Spill Data Dilemma

We may be better off interviewing pelicans. Disraeli said "There are three kinds of lies; lies, damned lies and statistics." At this point there are very few homo sapiens left without a reason to spin the numbers.

I believe that if the designers of wells incorporate an isolating valve at the point where the pipe emerges from the sea bed it could be closed in an emergency or when repairs are carried out above that point. My question is why such a device is not specified by the authorities. S.Sri

A better question is that if the only guaranteed way to stop an oil gusher is by drilling a relief well which takes about 2 months to complete, then why don't they require the relief well to be in place before the rig starts pumping oil?

Incorporating an isolating valve is easier,less expensive and acts as a safety device than drilling additional wells even during the initial stages-S.Sri

uhhhh...... have you heard of a Blow-Out Preventor (BOP)?

Uhhh ..... money? The cost would just be passed back to the consumer and cause an uproar.

there is such a device its called a blow out preventer valve or BOP.

the BOP failed because it had a fault on it, and instead of bringing it up to the surface to repair it they just kept on drilling and the BOP failed

the end

Amazing! EVERYONE, EVERYONE misses the point.

The pressures (and subsequent volume flow) were wildly beyond anything anticipated.

The Gulf of Mexico IS the LARGEST RESIVOIR in the world! It has enough hydrocarbons to run the world for 500 years. (By which time Captain Kirk WILL exist and we won't need "fossil fuels".

ADVANCEMENT OF OUR CIVILIZATION DEPENDS ON HIGH ENERGY DENSITY ENERGY, PERIOD.

The amount of Gulf area (making the Gulf a circle roughly) now covered by oil is about 3%. The Permex spill of 79-80 dispersed and was gone in 3 to 4 years. The Texas coast recovered handily.

All this hand wringing comes about because people are not willing to study history, and because they are beaten into intellectual submission by "environmentalism" the new religion. I, for one, prefer to go to my Church for religion, and Perry's Handbook for Chemical Engineering. (Amen to the Holy Stanton and Renyolds numbers, Praise the Perry!)

If man can go to the moon and comeback safely why can.t he estimate the pressure of oil/gas from the sea bed?Is it due to short coming in technology or negligence? Will they appoint a commission of inquiry to safeguard other wells?

Was the US government monitoring the activities of BP near their shore?What action did they take when they delayed the repair to the BOP? I wonder whether an isolating valve and BOP do the same function?