If you know the cross-sectional area of the pipe and you know the exit velocity of the fluid, it’s trivial to figure out the flow. This was easily done from the camera information before the cap went on. Now, you’d have to have some idea as to how thick the ring of oil gushing around the cap is, but you could probably come pretty close with the same calculation. Estimating the thickness of the oil annulus might be done from the geometry of the cap, or possibly from a view of the oil flow from a different perspective.
Quantity of flow = area of flow x velocity at exit point.
“This was easily done from the camera information before the cap went on.”
Was it done?
I read an article yesterday quoting a BP official as saying the extra containment apparatus they hope to have installed next month will bring the total oil captured up to 2 MILLION GALLONS DAILY. Yes, you read that correctly.
SO,
that tells me that it is spewing AT LEAST 2 MILLION GALLONS DAILY.
I’m sure BP and our govt. have known the flow since April 21.