Controlled Burn
Crazyness is going on in the Gulf.
There was the blowout on the BP operated Transocean rig, which I am sure you all know about.
But here are some of the kind of crazy parts you may not know about:
1) The blowout happened after they lined the bore hole with cement. Which basically never happens and should pretty much be impossible
2) They thought that the well was not leaking - then they found that it is. To the rate of 42,000gl a day (amazingly - according to Wolfram|Alpha, that is only 20% of the rate at which the SR-71 Blackbird consumes fuel while flying at Mach 3 - that is a crazy plane.)
3) The spill is heading for the wetlands of Louisiana, which account for about 40% of US wetlands
4) The wellhead is 5,000 feet down. Which is really, really far down. There is a safety valve (blowout preventer) at the wellhead - which is not working
5) The plan to deal with the spill, currently, is to set it on fire. This would protect the wetlands, burn off 50%-90% of the oil, and make for a great sequel to Waterworld
6) The first plan to capture the leaking oil is a giant tent or dome over the wellhead - which is pretty crazy, but is only 2-4 weeks away
7) The long-term plan is to bore in from about 1/2 a mile away, and try and cap the well
8) BP, honestly, could not have had worse timing, the with the new administration warming up to more offshore drilling, and a new energy bill recently proposed -this is just a bad time to be causing ecological disasters (not that there is a good time).
There was the blowout on the BP operated Transocean rig, which I am sure you all know about.
But here are some of the kind of crazy parts you may not know about:
1) The blowout happened after they lined the bore hole with cement. Which basically never happens and should pretty much be impossible
2) They thought that the well was not leaking - then they found that it is. To the rate of 42,000gl a day (amazingly - according to Wolfram|Alpha, that is only 20% of the rate at which the SR-71 Blackbird consumes fuel while flying at Mach 3 - that is a crazy plane.)
3) The spill is heading for the wetlands of Louisiana, which account for about 40% of US wetlands
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| The New York Times | |
5) The plan to deal with the spill, currently, is to set it on fire. This would protect the wetlands, burn off 50%-90% of the oil, and make for a great sequel to Waterworld
6) The first plan to capture the leaking oil is a giant tent or dome over the wellhead - which is pretty crazy, but is only 2-4 weeks away
7) The long-term plan is to bore in from about 1/2 a mile away, and try and cap the well
8) BP, honestly, could not have had worse timing, the with the new administration warming up to more offshore drilling, and a new energy bill recently proposed -this is just a bad time to be causing ecological disasters (not that there is a good time).
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