On May 21, 4:18*pm, terry wrote:
On May 21, 5:18*pm, "basilisk" wrote:





"Hustlin' Hank" wrote in message

....
On May 21, 8:44?am, "basilisk" wrote:

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-

I thought the pipe was much smaller, like 4-6". I also think the
outside forces (forces exerted on an object at 6000ft below sea level)
are somewhere around 6K psi. I don't think the pressure inside the
pipe is quite as high as you guess. On another factor is the weight of
the water IF it were contained in a pipe to the surface. Anyway, the
oil is normally PUMPED out of the well because the pressure in the
well is unable to overcome the lift required to bring it to the
surface.

Since it is ruptured, it is flowing out at a minimum pressure and then
surfacing.

That is the way I understand it, but I could be wrong in many ways.

Hank

I got the pipe size and psi from news reports, but TV news reports
aren't noted for their accuracy, who knows?

basilisk

Well a 20 inch plug has an area of around 310 square inches. Pi x R
squared!
The pressure of the oil and *gas coming out of the broken well must be
considerable in water of a depth of say 5000 feet. Many times
atmospheric pressure anyway lets say it's only a 1000 pounds per
square inch? (That's way too conservative by the way).

So with a pressure of around 300,000 pounds on the plug it's not the
kind of thing where you hold it in place with one hand while
tightening the expanding bolt with the other hand. All while kneeling
on the basement or kitchen floor!


It's not the absolute pressure that matters. It's the relative
pressure difference between the well and the water at the bottom of
the sea.