Posted on 06/13/2010 10:46:41 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
(CNN) -- Sensors to measure the pressure of oil gushing from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico were being deployed Sunday to give the government a better idea of how much oil is flowing, according to the Obama administration's point man on the environmental disaster.
Researchers recently doubled estimates of how much oil has been flowing from the ruptured well, saying last week that up to 40,000 barrels -- or 1.7 million gallons -- a day may have leaked for weeks.
Sensors will be placed at the pipe and will help in estimating the flow rate, said Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen.
"We actually are going to be deploying sensors down there today that will start taking pressure readings," Allen said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
I think it’s gonna be less than what they expect...No matter....they’re looking for the highest number possible...cuz that’s how the fine will be determined.
The only reason to know the pressure and estimate flow is to figure out home much they want to fine BP..it will do nothing to stop the flow.
Watch for BP stock to get hit this evening in London.
The only thing that I agree with that Obama has done is call for a third party to determine damage liability...either a third party of FEMA should be doing it.
BTW..I am going to claim against BP for losses in my energy stocks..not HAL,RIG or BP, but other stocks that have taken a hit a result. They should pay me.
Based on what principle, sir?
LOL ... why actually do something when you can figure out how much money to steal. I am sure this is really important. I see Obama as the incompetent spill leader has a trouble with priorities.
I wonder why Obama doesn’t waive the Jones Act. Seems to me containing the spill in the region of the well would be far better than scrapping it up off the beaches.
If you think he cares about anyone...you're kidding yourself.
Why was this NOT done the first few days? Common sense says to know the size of the leak up front!!
Now we why Daddy hasn't plugged the hole yet.
Now we KNOW why Daddy hasn't plugged the hole yet. [corrected]
And it only took'em 55 days to figure that out.
That's almost like REAL science!
“In order to install the instruments they had to remove parts from the BOP that were being used for other things at the time.”
I thought they had ultrasonic flow sensors that could read in the pipe.
And let a perfectly good crisis go without maximum impact?
There is no good way to measure the flow rate unless they can figure out a way to run it through a pipe.
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.
The casing took a jolt from the rig sinking there is a leak some 6 miles away coming up through the sea floor but who knows this needs stopped deep down by the two wells being drilled right now.
“This was easily done from the camera information before the cap went on.”
Was it done?
A number of people with expertise in fluid flow (although this is a simple calculation) said that the flow was several times the given figure of 5000 bpd. It was done. Was it done "officially?" Who's to say?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.