Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
|
Home Repair (alt.home.repair) For all homeowners and DIYers with many experienced tradesmen. Solve your toughest home fix-it problems. |
Reply |
|
LinkBack | Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
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 |
#2
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
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. |
#3
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
|
#4
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
On 5/21/2010 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 Every hillbilly out there thinks he has the answer. There's a cute one about absorbing the oil with straw |
#5
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
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. |
#6
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
|
#7
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
|
#8
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
|
#9
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
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 |
#10
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
"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 |
#11
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
Hustlin' Hank wrote:
.... 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. Well, the pressure has to be larger than the static head or that would be sufficient to prevent flow other than diffusion/displacement by differential density. That clearly isn't the case from the video and size of the flow. As another says, those are reported numbers I've seen as well; what, specifically they have to do w/ reality is also as he notes anybody's guess.... -- |
#12
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
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! One would however imagine the much maligned engineers have figured that out? But it is true that sometimes the best ideas are the simplest! Usually the problem with these situations is not only the technology but the managerial ethics and political will to do the right thing and spend the money and resources, beforehand, to avoid a problem in the first place. This spillage should never have happened. But it and BPs attitude makes one wonder about other wells, and oil industry practices and procedures! And, considering regulation! Just look at the countries that are recovering nicely (Australia, Canada, China, India and others) from the financial problems caused by the bad credit crisis! It is those that have tough and enforced 'Banking regulations'! Same with the oil industry there is too much emphasis on the bottom line profit and executive bonuses and maybe lobbying? Somewhere along the line the welfare of everybody else involved, included other users and residents, immediately in this case, the residents, fishers, tourist industry employees of those coastal areas get lost in the scramble. In the longer term that's all of us; I'm certainly not going anywhere near Florida, for example, if there are oiled beaches and oil slicks fouling my boat! |
#13
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
Hustlin' Hank wrote:
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. The pipe they inserted into the leaking well is 4" in diameter. The well pipe is much larger. The pressure from the weight of the water is the same whether it is in a pipe or not.. When the water has been displaced by oil, then the pressure will be less. |
#14
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
On Fri, 21 May 2010 09:23:02 -0400, Frank
wrote: Every hillbilly out there thinks he has the answer. There's a cute one about absorbing the oil with straw _Kevin Costner may hold key to oil spill cleanup_ "The actor has invested 15 years and $24 million in a cleanup system involving centrifugal oil separators. BP and the Coast Guard plan to test six of the machines on the spill next week." ..."The machines are essentially like big vacuum cleaners, which sit on barges and suck up oily water and spin it around at high speed," Houghtaling said. "On one side, it spits out pure oil, which can be recovered. The other side spits out 99% pure water." http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...tory?track=rss |
#15
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
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. |
#16
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
|
#17
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
On May 22, 7:13*am, wrote:
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.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Exactlyl. All that gas and oil needs is at least 1 psi above whatever the water pressure is down there. It appears that it is much higher than that pressure though. Harry K |
#18
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
On Fri, 21 May 2010 07:44:47 -0500, "basilisk"
wrote: 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 I agree with your answer but not your multiplication. Assuming your numbers are right, 2000 x 22 x pi = 138,000 pounds. Still too much, I'm sure. Compare how easy it is to close off part of a garden hose with your thumb versus the whole thing. OTOH, the OP's point is that his plug is smaller than the hole when put in, and would be likea thumb closing off part of hose. I guess the high pressure is still the problem Not that I have a better suggestion but I don't like relying on BP to do this. They seem to have put all their energy into avoiding a leak and little into what to do about it if one occured. And the OP is right, the current pipe is only about 6 inches in a 22 inch pipe, but i think it was actually 4 inches. |
#19
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
"mm" wrote in message ... On Fri, 21 May 2010 07:44:47 -0500, "basilisk" wrote: 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 I agree with your answer but not your multiplication. Assuming your numbers are right, 2000 x 22 x pi = 138,000 pounds. it would psi*pi*radius squared. 2000 X 3.1459 X (11 X 11) =761,307.8 My information may be bad, but not my math. basilisk Still too much, I'm sure. Compare how easy it is to close off part of a garden hose with your thumb versus the whole thing. OTOH, the OP's point is that his plug is smaller than the hole when put in, and would be likea thumb closing off part of hose. I guess the high pressure is still the problem Not that I have a better suggestion but I don't like relying on BP to do this. They seem to have put all their energy into avoiding a leak and little into what to do about it if one occured. And the OP is right, the current pipe is only about 6 inches in a 22 inch pipe, but i think it was actually 4 inches. |
#20
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
mm wrote:
.... I agree with your answer but not your multiplication. Assuming your numbers are right, 2000 x 22 x pi = 138,000 pounds. .... pi.D is circumference, not area... pi.r^2 = A -- 121*3+ -- ~360*2000 = ~720klb-f The question is what is the differential pressure at the wellhead -- what are the numbers being bandied about in the press???? There's no way of telling and there's probably not a reporter or reporterette in a 1000 that would have a clue if you told 'em... This beating up on BP is simply populist Monday-morning qb'ing for the consumption of the press and populace. There does seem to have been some culpability in the operations but before the full incident review it's certainly too early to say for sure who or what was root cause. I've little doubt there's not much any of the gov't "experts" in FEMA or HSA or any other agency know or have experience in that will outpace that of BP production combined w/ Halliburton and their contractors. These aren't "johnny come latelies" to the party. -- |
#21
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
In article ,
" wrote: I'm puzzled that BP...BRITISH Petroleum...hasn't gotten any flak from the British gov't., or the Brit's from the US. At least I haven't heard of it. Is the gusher in international waters? How far out are US, or state waters? Isn't the leak about 30 miles offshore? Here's a lengthy treatise on international waters: http://tinyurl.com/6mt9hk which from a quick scan says territorial waters used to extend as far as a cannonball could fly (3 miles) but now, at least for the U.S., goes out 24 miles. |
#22
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
In article ,
dpb wrote: This beating up on BP is simply populist Monday-morning qb'ing for the consumption of the press and populace. Huh? As far as I'm concerned, they ****ed up. They should not have been doing something that entailed risk, without a plan for dealing with any problem that might arise. It's really just that damn simple. |
#23
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
On Sat, 22 May 2010 10:34:39 -0400, "
wrote: Is the gusher in international waters? How far out are US, or state waters? Day trips on ships with gambling, off the coast of Florida requires 12 miles before they the turn on the slot machines. |
#24
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
On Sat, 22 May 2010 10:34:39 -0400, "
wrote: wrote: 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. I'm puzzled that BP...BRITISH Petroleum...hasn't gotten any flak from the British gov't., or the Brit's from the US. At least I haven't heard of it. Is the gusher in international waters? How far out are US, or state waters? http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/2503227/posts Looks like about 200mi due South of Dauphin Island, AL. |
#25
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
On Sat, 22 May 2010 12:04:34 -0700, Smitty Two
wrote: In article , dpb wrote: This beating up on BP is simply populist Monday-morning qb'ing for the consumption of the press and populace. Huh? As far as I'm concerned, they ****ed up. They should not have been doing something that entailed risk, without a plan for dealing with any problem that might arise. It's really just that damn simple. You cannot write a contingency plan for every situation. Can't expect a plan to cover every set of circumstances. Didn't NASA save the Apollo with a improvised brainstorm? |
#26
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
In article ,
Oren wrote: On Sat, 22 May 2010 12:04:34 -0700, Smitty Two wrote: In article , dpb wrote: This beating up on BP is simply populist Monday-morning qb'ing for the consumption of the press and populace. Huh? As far as I'm concerned, they ****ed up. They should not have been doing something that entailed risk, without a plan for dealing with any problem that might arise. It's really just that damn simple. You cannot write a contingency plan for every situation. Can't expect a plan to cover every set of circumstances. Didn't NASA save the Apollo with a improvised brainstorm? Yeah, sure, Apollo 13. Saved the lives of 3 men, who knowingly and willingly embarked on a voyage positively fraught with danger. Not a good analogy. Risk vs. reward is a real-world concept. Given the level of risk involved, I'd say BP had the responsibility to write a contingency plan for every possible complication that had a better than 1 in a million chance of materializing. And I'd say they failed, willfully taking risks far greater than that, with no plan B. |
#27
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
Smitty Two wrote:
In article , Oren wrote: On Sat, 22 May 2010 12:04:34 -0700, Smitty Two wrote: In article , dpb wrote: This beating up on BP is simply populist Monday-morning qb'ing for the consumption of the press and populace. Huh? As far as I'm concerned, they ****ed up. They should not have been doing something that entailed risk, without a plan for dealing with any problem that might arise. It's really just that damn simple. You cannot write a contingency plan for every situation. Can't expect a plan to cover every set of circumstances. Didn't NASA save the Apollo with a improvised brainstorm? Yeah, sure, Apollo 13. Saved the lives of 3 men, who knowingly and willingly embarked on a voyage positively fraught with danger. Not a good analogy. Risk vs. reward is a real-world concept. Given the level of risk involved, I'd say BP had the responsibility to write a contingency plan for every possible complication that had a better than 1 in a million chance of materializing. And I'd say they failed, willfully taking risks far greater than that, with no plan B. Trouble is, with any complex system, you never know all the ways something can go wrong. Sometimes, things that are trivial taken individually, when they happen at the same time, cause catastrophic failure. Not saying BP and the various subs did everything correctly this time (obviously), but there is a certain amount of risk that you can never plan for. As described in a previous message, it looks like the failure this time was too many cooks in the kitchen, with no one person on-site that had the whole thing in their head, with the authority to force a production hold. (Kinda like what killed Challenger...) Knowing a blowout preventer had failed, strongly suspecting the inflatable 'doughnut' that kept the mud from blowing back had failed, and then attempting to use a fast (dry) way to pull the drill shaft back out, all combined to create a 2+2=5 situation. They ran it like a drilling operation on land or in shallow water, when it needed to be run like a space shot or deep dive operation. I'm obviously no expert on deep ocean drilling- that is just my take from published news reports. And wasn't this the deepest anyone had tried to do a wellhead? -- aem sends... |
#28
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
On Sat, 22 May 2010 12:05:35 -0500, "basilisk"
wrote: "mm" wrote in message .. . On Fri, 21 May 2010 07:44:47 -0500, "basilisk" wrote: 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 I agree with your answer but not your multiplication. Assuming your numbers are right, 2000 x 22 x pi = 138,000 pounds. it would psi*pi*radius squared. 2000 X 3.1459 X (11 X 11) =761,307.8 My information may be bad, but not my math. Ooops. I shouldn't have dropped out of high school half way through geometry. basilisk Still too much, I'm sure. Compare how easy it is to close off part of a garden hose with your thumb versus the whole thing. OTOH, the OP's point is that his plug is smaller than the hole when put in, and would be likea thumb closing off part of hose. I guess the high pressure is still the problem Not that I have a better suggestion but I don't like relying on BP to do this. They seem to have put all their energy into avoiding a leak and little into what to do about it if one occured. And the OP is right, the current pipe is only about 6 inches in a 22 inch pipe, but i think it was actually 4 inches. |
#29
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_13
That Apollo launch and mission sure was an adventure of adapt, overcome, and so on. -- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org .. "Smitty Two" wrote in message news You cannot write a contingency plan for every situation. Can't expect a plan to cover every set of circumstances. Didn't NASA save the Apollo with a improvised brainstorm? Yeah, sure, Apollo 13. Saved the lives of 3 men, who knowingly and willingly embarked on a voyage positively fraught with danger. Not a good analogy. Risk vs. reward is a real-world concept. Given the level of risk involved, I'd say BP had the responsibility to write a contingency plan for every possible complication that had a better than 1 in a million chance of materializing. And I'd say they failed, willfully taking risks far greater than that, with no plan B. |
#30
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
On May 23, 3:16*am, aemeijers wrote:
Smitty Two wrote: In article , *Oren wrote: On Sat, 22 May 2010 12:04:34 -0700, Smitty Two wrote: In article , dpb wrote: This beating up on BP is simply populist Monday-morning qb'ing for the consumption of the press and populace. Huh? As far as I'm concerned, they ****ed up. They should not have been doing something that entailed risk, without a plan for dealing with any problem that might arise. It's really just that damn simple. You cannot write a contingency plan for every situation. Can't expect a plan to cover every set of circumstances. *Didn't NASA save the Apollo with a improvised brainstorm? Yeah, sure, Apollo 13. Saved the lives of 3 men, who knowingly and willingly embarked on a voyage positively fraught with danger. Not a good analogy. Risk vs. reward is a real-world concept. Given the level of risk involved, I'd say BP had the responsibility to write a contingency plan for every possible complication that had a better than 1 in a million chance of materializing. And I'd say they failed, willfully taking risks far greater than that, with no plan B. Trouble is, with any complex system, you never know all the ways something can go wrong. Sometimes, things that are trivial taken individually, when they happen at the same time, cause catastrophic failure. Not saying BP and the various subs did everything correctly this time (obviously), but there is a certain amount of risk that you can never plan for. As described in a previous message, it looks like the failure this time was too many cooks in the kitchen, with no one person on-site that had the whole thing in their head, with the authority to force a production hold. (Kinda like what killed Challenger...) Knowing a blowout preventer had failed, strongly suspecting the inflatable 'doughnut' that kept the mud from blowing back had failed, and then attempting to use a fast (dry) way to pull the drill shaft back out, all combined to create a 2+2=5 situation. They ran it like a drilling operation on land or in shallow water, when it needed to be run like a space shot or deep dive operation. I'm obviously no expert on deep ocean drilling- that is just my take from published news reports. And wasn't this the deepest anyone had tried to do a wellhead? No. The world record was set by the same rig some months before on another well. But it doesn't really matter, it was still a very deep well. Regarding the overall situation and who is to blame, there is certainly plenty to spread around. While you can't predict every possible failure mechanism, one would think you would have a plan to effectively deal with the aftermath that works. BP did file such a plan, claiming it was capable of cleaning up, containing, and dealing with a leak that was huge, with most saying it was many times larger than this actual one. Obviously, the plan didn't work. It will be interesting to see exactly how much capability they really did have in place prior to the accident. I would also add the EPA and which ever agency issues leases, Dept of the Interior?, to the list of those responsible. For years everyone has been concerned about the dangers of oil spills in the ocean from a variety of possible sources, eg pipeline leaks, tankers, oil well accidents, etc. It's not something new. Yet, just a few days ago the EPA ordered BP to prove that there is not a more environmentally safe dispersant available to use and if there is a better one to start using it. WTF? The EPA has a budget of what? 50bil? And they don't know what dispersants are environmentally safe to use in the ocean? And this latest fiasco came two weeks after EPA ordered BP to stop using the dispersant because they thought it was doing more harm than good. Later, apparently they reversed that decision, only to bring it up again now. Then we have the genius Admiral of the Coast Guard, who when asked why they didn't immediately start burning the oil, said that he was following a plan written many years ago that said you could only burn if the winds were coming offshore so as not to possibly generate onshore air pollution. WTF? Why didn't he get on the phone with Nepolitano or Obama and get this obvious nonsense overidden on an emergency basis. What about all the Congressmen and Senators that have oversight on this, including the ones that always bitch about the potential for disaster? Did they do anything to make sure that the drilling that was being done was done to safe standards? Along those lines, it seems to me a reasonable thing that should have been done was somthing along the lines of the EPA superfund where they taxed all the chemical companies to establish a fund for environmental cleanup. Before issuing any leases, the govt could have required that the drillers all contribute to an entity created to be available to respond quicky and effectively to ANY oil spill. They could also require oil shipping companies to contribute. Said entity would not only have all the necessary eqpt on hand to respond instantly to any accident, but would also do research to establish best practices to deal with such situations. Then, we wouldn't have BP looking on Google for safe and effective dispersants. |
#31
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
Oren wrote:
On Sat, 22 May 2010 12:04:34 -0700, Smitty Two wrote: In article , dpb wrote: This beating up on BP is simply populist Monday-morning qb'ing for the consumption of the press and populace. Huh? As far as I'm concerned, they ****ed up. They should not have been doing something that entailed risk, without a plan for dealing with any problem that might arise. It's really just that damn simple. You cannot write a contingency plan for every situation. Can't expect a plan to cover every set of circumstances. Didn't NASA save the Apollo with a improvised brainstorm? CAN'T write a contingency plan for every situation? Hell, how about "What do we do when the pipe breaks one mile down?" I hope I live long enough to witness the hearings where the oil guys are asked "Did you ever discuss what corrective action would be taken if you opened a gusher on the bottom of the ocean a mile down?" BP HAD a contingency plan and fought to NOT follow it whilst the rig was still on top of the water. They violated their own safety procedure to save time and money. Apollo? Apollo didn't have the potential for ruining an ocean, and the flyboys did what they did because they were risk-takers. |
#32
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
On May 23, 6:38*am, "
wrote: Oren wrote: On Sat, 22 May 2010 12:04:34 -0700, Smitty Two wrote: In article , dpb wrote: This beating up on BP is simply populist Monday-morning qb'ing for the consumption of the press and populace. Huh? As far as I'm concerned, they ****ed up. They should not have been doing something that entailed risk, without a plan for dealing with any problem that might arise. It's really just that damn simple. You cannot write a contingency plan for every situation. Can't expect a plan to cover every set of circumstances. *Didn't NASA save the Apollo with a improvised brainstorm? CAN'T write a contingency plan for every situation? *Hell, how about "What do we do when the pipe breaks one mile down?" *I hope I live long enough to witness the hearings where the oil guys are asked "Did you ever discuss what corrective action would be taken if you opened a gusher on the bottom of the ocean a mile down?" BP HAD a contingency plan and fought to NOT follow it whilst the rig was still on top of the water. *They violated their own safety procedure to save time and money. *Apollo? *Apollo didn't have the potential for ruining an ocean, and the flyboys did what they did because they were risk-takers.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - I thought the report was that they did have that contingency - a 'blow- out preventer'. Something went wrong with it however. Harry K |
#33
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
Harry K wrote:
On May 23, 6:38 am, " wrote: Oren wrote: On Sat, 22 May 2010 12:04:34 -0700, Smitty Two wrote: In article , dpb wrote: This beating up on BP is simply populist Monday-morning qb'ing for the consumption of the press and populace. Huh? As far as I'm concerned, they ****ed up. They should not have been doing something that entailed risk, without a plan for dealing with any problem that might arise. It's really just that damn simple. You cannot write a contingency plan for every situation. Can't expect a plan to cover every set of circumstances. Didn't NASA save the Apollo with a improvised brainstorm? CAN'T write a contingency plan for every situation? Hell, how about "What do we do when the pipe breaks one mile down?" I hope I live long enough to witness the hearings where the oil guys are asked "Did you ever discuss what corrective action would be taken if you opened a gusher on the bottom of the ocean a mile down?" BP HAD a contingency plan and fought to NOT follow it whilst the rig was still on top of the water. They violated their own safety procedure to save time and money. Apollo? Apollo didn't have the potential for ruining an ocean, and the flyboys did what they did because they were risk-takers.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - I thought the report was that they did have that contingency - a 'blow- out preventer'. Something went wrong with it however. Harry K As I understand it, the "mud" that is used to fill the pipe was pumped out. The mud helped maintain proper pressure. Increasing pressure damaged some kind of rubber seal. Someone noticed rubber particles in whatever was being pumped out and brought it to the attention of ? That was the beginning, and I think the pressure problem is what allowed the gas to escape. The BOP was part of a solution, but obviously there was no plan for "what if the BOP battery dies and the whole rig blows up?". If I was pumping gas from the bottom of the ocean, I'd kind of wonder what to do when the pipe breaks down at the bottom. |
#34
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
On May 23, 6:57*am, "
wrote: Harry K wrote: On May 23, 6:38 am, " wrote: Oren wrote: On Sat, 22 May 2010 12:04:34 -0700, Smitty Two wrote: In article , dpb wrote: This beating up on BP is simply populist Monday-morning qb'ing for the consumption of the press and populace. Huh? As far as I'm concerned, they ****ed up. They should not have been doing something that entailed risk, without a plan for dealing with any problem that might arise. It's really just that damn simple. You cannot write a contingency plan for every situation. Can't expect a plan to cover every set of circumstances. *Didn't NASA save the Apollo with a improvised brainstorm? CAN'T write a contingency plan for every situation? *Hell, how about "What do we do when the pipe breaks one mile down?" *I hope I live long enough to witness the hearings where the oil guys are asked "Did you ever discuss what corrective action would be taken if you opened a gusher on the bottom of the ocean a mile down?" BP HAD a contingency plan and fought to NOT follow it whilst the rig was still on top of the water. *They violated their own safety procedure to save time and money. *Apollo? *Apollo didn't have the potential for ruining an ocean, and the flyboys did what they did because they were risk-takers.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - I thought the report was that they did have that contingency - a 'blow- out preventer'. *Something went wrong with it however. Harry K As I understand it, the "mud" that is used to fill the pipe was pumped out. *The mud helped maintain proper pressure. *Increasing pressure damaged some kind of rubber seal. *Someone noticed rubber particles in whatever was being pumped out and brought it to the attention of ? *That was the beginning, and I think the pressure problem is what allowed the gas to escape. *The BOP was part of a solution, but obviously there was no plan for "what if the BOP battery dies and the whole rig blows up?". If I was pumping gas from the bottom of the ocean, I'd kind of wonder what to do when the pipe breaks down at the bottom.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - IIANM the BOP is installed where the well surfaces...in this case way down there on the bottom. Harry K |
#35
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
On May 22, 3:34�pm, "
wrote: wrote: 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. I'm puzzled that BP...BRITISH Petroleum...hasn't gotten any flak from the British gov't., or the Brit's from the US. �At least I haven't heard of it. �Is the gusher in international waters? �How far out are US, or state waters?- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - BP had subcontracted the job to a Swiss firm. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...051302007.html The progress of the disaster is being minutely followed by the media over here in the UK. |
#36
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
On May 22, 8:04�pm, Smitty Two wrote:
In article , �dpb wrote: This beating up on BP is simply populist Monday-morning qb'ing for the consumption of the press and populace. Huh? As far as I'm concerned, they ****ed up. They should not have been doing something that entailed risk, without a plan for dealing with any problem that might arise. It's really just that damn simple. This operation is right on the edge of what's technically possible, so increasing the chances of complete f**k up like this one. |
#37
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
|
#38
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
On Sat, 22 May 2010 20:44:14 -0700, Smitty Two
wrote: Given the level of risk involved, I'd say BP had the responsibility to write a contingency plan for every possible complication that had a better than 1 in a million chance of materializing. And I'd say they failed, willfully taking risks far greater than that, with no plan B. The Contingency Plans, at work years ago had a Disclaimer: (paraphrasing) "These plans are not expected to cover every situation that might arise. Common sense must be used." Example: As a guest tenant agency on an military base plans, were given to the military for review and comment, then approved so they could go to Washington, D.C. On September 11, 2001, the base went to DEFCON 3. Certainly not part of our CP. We had plans for say, 12 hour shifts. But never "pack a suitcase for three days". |
#39
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
What are these plumbing things called?
Smitty Two wrote:
In article , dpb wrote: This beating up on BP is simply populist Monday-morning qb'ing for the consumption of the press and populace. Huh? As far as I'm concerned, they ****ed up. They should not have been doing something that entailed risk, without a plan for dealing with any problem that might arise. It's really just that damn simple. And they were violating their own rules and procedures. Rubber chunks of the blowout preventer came up the pipe, and they ignored it. They removed the mud before sealing the well. And on and on....... |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Plumbing Code - Can I tie my bathroom exaust fan into the main plumbing vent to the outside. | Home Repair | |||
Question on plumbing average cost- location New England...For newtoilet and change pedestal plumbing | Home Repair | |||
Cable storage, hanger sort of things, what are they called? | UK diy | |||
What's it called | Metalworking | |||
What are these things called ? | UK diy |