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Sensors to calculate oil flow rate deployed ( Gulf Oil Spill )
CNN ^ | June 13, 2010 12:38 p.m. EDT | CNN Wire Staff

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 ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; News/Current Events; US: Louisiana
KEYWORDS: deepwaterhorizon; oilspill
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To: Cheetahcat

Some even say it was there all along. I for got - for pressure they need a tap into the casing as far as i know there is no way to measure it externally.


21 posted on 06/13/2010 12:42:02 PM PDT by mad_as_he$$ (Sometimes you have to go to dark places to get to the light....)
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To: mad_as_he$$

“Some even say it was there all along. I for got - for pressure they need a tap into the casing as far as i know there is no way to measure it externally.”

Could be and for the exact pressure You are right, I believe.


22 posted on 06/13/2010 12:51:39 PM PDT by Cheetahcat (Zero the Wright kind of Racist! We are in a state of War with Democrats)
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To: mad_as_he$$

How does the pressure give them the velocity?

Sorry, I am a math dunce.


23 posted on 06/13/2010 1:10:56 PM PDT by reformedliberal ("If it takes a blood bath, let's get it over with." R. Reagan)
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To: reformedliberal

cause pressure drop is the driving force for determining the flow rate.

W = K * (dp)^.5

Using this formula, the flow rate is determined by a constant (K) and the square root of the pressure drop.

A more general formula is:

W = 1891 * d^2 * (dp * rho / K ) ^.5
where K is f * L / D

In this formula,

the little d is the diameter of the pipe in inches.

rho is the density of the fluid

K is the resistance of the piping. It is calculated from the friction factor (f); the length of the pipe in feet (L) and the diameter of the pipe in feed (D).

since all of these terms (except the pressure drop) are constants, once they are calculated, they can be used to reduce the equation to the first, more simple term.


24 posted on 06/13/2010 2:17:07 PM PDT by Pikachu_Dad (Impeach Sen Quinn)
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To: Cheetahcat

>>> Why was this NOT done the first few days? Common sense says to know the size of the leak up front!! <<<

No, common sense says the leak was huge, put all your efforts into stopping the leak. There is plenty of time later to estimate how big it was.


25 posted on 06/13/2010 2:18:31 PM PDT by Pikachu_Dad (Impeach Sen Quinn)
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To: Old Professer

>>> There is no good way to measure the flow rate unless they can figure out a way to run it through a pipe. <<<

and fortunately the flow just so happens to be running through a pipe. A nice long pipe that runs through the ground.

So all they have to do is to get the sensors down into the existing pipe, before the leak, and voila, they have the answer between how much is getting into the boat and how much is going into the ocean.


26 posted on 06/13/2010 2:20:52 PM PDT by Pikachu_Dad (Impeach Sen Quinn)
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To: Pikachu_Dad

“No, common sense says the leak was huge, put all your efforts into stopping the leak. There is plenty of time later to estimate how big it was.”

Exactly and the same with bashing BP now is the time to help not drive them out of business. there is a time and place for that after the leaking is under control.


27 posted on 06/13/2010 2:28:27 PM PDT by Cheetahcat (Zero the Wright kind of Racist! We are in a state of War with Democrats)
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To: Pearls Before Swine

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.


28 posted on 06/13/2010 3:44:47 PM PDT by a real Sheila (WHY is BP allowed to use "sinking agents" on the oil spill?!!!!)
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To: a real Sheila

2 million gallons is a shade under 50,000 barrels. That’s a major well—I wonder about the size of the reservoir they hit.


29 posted on 06/13/2010 4:01:32 PM PDT by Pearls Before Swine
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To: reformedliberal
If you know the size of the pipe(which I am not sure they do exactly) then you can tell the velocity using the pressure. However, things like friction etc will also have a bearing on the actual velocity.
30 posted on 06/14/2010 6:26:19 AM PDT by mad_as_he$$ (Sometimes you have to go to dark places to get to the light....)
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