On May 21, 8:44*am, "basilisk" wrote:
wrote in message

...





What are these plumbing things called?
Yea, I know they're a plug, but what's the actual name?

They're a rubber device with a bolt in the middle. *When the nut is
tightened on the bolt, the rubber expands to form a tight seal inside
a pipe. *I've seen them used for basement floor drains, during
flooding. *Also used for temporary plugs in any pipes. *I've also seen
them sold for boating. *I dont know much about boating, but I assume
they are some sort of plug for the bottom of the boat.

I'm asking this because I cant understand why this method has not been
tried on the BP oil pipe in the ocean. *It's a 20 inch pipe, as I saw
on the news. *Why cant they make a 20" plug of this type, and their
robots can tighten the nut. *Why is this so difficult? *Seems that the
BP company workers are all total idiots. *They stuck what looks to be
a 6" pipe in the hole. *Like what the f__k is that going to do. *Sure,
they're getting some of the oil up that pipe, but think about this.
They had to make and install one mile of pipe, and it only solved a
small percentage of the problem. *It took them weeks to do this, and
it's not doing much good. *Wouldn't it have been easier to take down a
20 inch plug that probably weighs 50 lbs at most, and tighten a nut.
Seems to make much more sense than one mile of pipe that probably
weighs many tons.

Anyhow, what are these plugs called? *As soon as I know, I'm going to
find who manufactures them, and see if they can make something to
help. *Relying on BP is about the same thing as a doctor putting a
bandage on the finger of someone who just had a heart attack. *Since
BP has proven they are completely illiterate, the time has come for
all of us to find a solution. *If we keep relying on the idiots from
BP, pretty soon we'll all be affected.

I think the real problem is overcoming the 760,000 pounds of
force to insert the plug.

22 inch pipe at 2000 estimated psi.

basilisk- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

That type of plug is used on pools to winterize them and at least for
that application they are called pool plugs or pool expansion plugs.

As for why you can't just shove one into a large oil pipe 5,000 feet
under the sea, I think the above answer covers it. I haven't done the
math, but with such a large plug area, any reasonable amount of PSI
pressure is going to exert a huge force on the plug. You can insert
a 2" plug into a drain line, but try inserting that into a water pipe
that is spewing water at even 50psi where you have easy access. And
on the ocean floor, what is a robot supposed to hold onto to keep it
from just being pushed away?

That's why they used a plug type arrangement with a smaller pipe in
the middle, so the oil and gas can flow while the apparatus is being
put in place, greatly reducing the force.