BP and the Gigantic Oil Separator

[spartonboat1]

Serious post...do not some of you have water separators in your lube oil filtering systems. Is there not such technologies on an oil-patch, i.e. Gulf oil spill scale? I would think the mass volumes of oil scavenged would be worth some serious jack (or not?). Current flow is 5k bbl/day, at $30/bbl, if you could scavenge a 1k bbl every couple days...that's $30-60k/day. Or would the USCG scare you away to allow the spill to continue (probably).

I do know that BP intends to send in oil tanker(s) with scavengers or recovery systems of some sort.

Odd, POTUS sent more legal firepower down there that engineering...why dat?

Ok, I am really only interested in the technical question.

 

[Captned]

I've got a really REALLY bad feeling about this one.... Potus needs to send EVERYTHING NOW that might help. I'm from Louisiana, living in Miami, holy cow.....Anybody on here ex oil? got any input? I know the day after the spill, the giant spill disaster ship based here in Miami took off out Goverment cut..

Captned

 

[Genesis]

I'm pretty nacked off at the failure of the blowout preventer to close. There's a serious problem here - the rig burned for a good long time before it sank, so the argument that the torque on the pipe damaged it as she went down doesn't really hold much water. Those are active-open devices, have lots of redundancy (theoretically) and it should have closed immediately when the accident occurred - but obviously it didn't, or there wouldn't have been the fuel for the inferno there either.

 

[spartonboat1]

I'm pretty nacked off at the failure of the blowout preventer to close. There's a serious problem here - the rig burned for a good long time before it sank, so the argument that the torque on the pipe damaged it as she went down doesn't really hold much water. Those are active-open devices, have lots of redundancy (theoretically) and it should have closed immediately when the accident occurred - but obviously it didn't, or there wouldn't have been the fuel for the inferno there either.

Mass media coverage has been very sloppy at best. E.g., this Sat morning May 1, a major news anchor 'on site' said that 200,000 miles of oil boom was in place and 500,000 'miles' more was coming. No doubt he meant 200,000 ft (approx 40 miles), plus 100 miles more; but he/they did not correct the remarks. I think he was able to correctly identify 'water' and 'boat' (lol).

At any rate, one of the reports related that some type of 'emergency' blowout preventer was not installed, over and above. or in addition to that which they have been trying to close. They may have punted in a 'cost saving measure' (I'm sure all of you have heard that all your work lives); so I am vetting the info vs. the source. Who knows how accurate the report is, but it sounded valid.

Also, there are four general areas of nominal risk management, and it sounds like they punted on three of the four. The fourth approach of paying all cleanup and legal costs, will be a very high cost, I'll bet - $5B+?. I don't think that BP directly owned the rig, but due diligence would indicate a need to apply corporate best practices. However, if I remember years ago, that was a management weakness at BP; but that's an aside.

I have recently read that BP had applied a low level of probability that a 'risk event' (blowout) would/could occur. However, since the 'risk cost' is a function of chance x cost, even a low chance would yield a high cost! In short, I would rate the management of the overall systems an F. Poor management of the rig, then poor risk planning for 'risk events'. I don't think I'd want those guys maintaining the systems on my Hatt!

If I've been too strong, let me know and I'll pull my remarks.

 

[Captned]

This is a email I received from a friend of mine in the oil rig business...I asked him if he knew anything about the issue..He works in Trinidad and Africa..

Hey Ned,

I heard briefly on the news day before yesterday, that they were concerned about the oil getting to the Louisiana coast but I have not really seen any news for a couple of days. I know quite a bit about what happened on the rig and I think it is going to get pretty serious in terms of pollution. They are trying to hydraulically close the BOP using an ROV but it seems that the BOP itself may be damaged.

If that is the case the only way to stop the flow of oil will be to drill a relief well from another rig. That is a very complex and time consuming exercise. It will probably take at least 6 weeks to get that done at best and all the while the oil will be flowing. I can see it is going to turn into a real mess.

Just by chance I caught Obama talking live a few weeks ago, about opening up new areas on the US coast for drilling and going on about how safe it was and how long it had been since a major spill. I turned to a friend and said to him "well that's just the kiss of death".........

I think the well is flowing a lot more than the 42K gallons per day that the media was quoting and when that stuff starts to surface you better pray the wind is pushing it away from the coast!!

Good luck.

 

[Traveler 45C]

Links to track the blob:

http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/04/30/us/gulf-oil-spill-map.html?hp

http://response.restoration.noaa.go...pic_topic)=2&topic_id(entry_subtopic_topic)=1

It's forecast to be near here, Pensacola on Monday. They're gonna' try to keep it from entering the bay but I'm not hopeful.

Lines have formed up for cleanup work, locally hiring 500 people, 3-18 months... for now.

 

[Canuck Dennis]

apparently the US Gov. does not require remote operated auto deploy of the BOP, for some reason they don't require that, it may have helped if deployed quick enough. Look like the entire Gulf could be covered before it's stopped, why not try massive underwater explosion to close it off, in essence that's what they do on land, take an old sub over top and detonate....lets hope it l.ets fixed "FAST"

 

[spartonboat1]

Links to track the blob:

http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/04/30/us/gulf-oil-spill-map.html?hp

http://response.restoration.noaa.go...pic_topic)=2&topic_id(entry_subtopic_topic)=1

It's forecast to be near here, Pensacola on Monday. They're gonna' try to keep it from entering the bay but I'm not hopeful.

Lines have formed up for cleanup work, locally hiring 500 people, 3-18 months... for now.

Between the 'blob' and the feds involved, this is turning into a bad 1950's 'B' movie, but without a good ending. (not lol).

 

[Traveler 45C]

My kids are just terribly sad, no beach, no waverunners, no fishing, no weekends at the anchorage...so am I.

Our Hatt floating in a marina full of oil...

Yuk!

 

[Canuck Dennis]

I am on the hard thank goodness...

 

[ppat324]

Bill and I would just like to say that our prayers are with each and everyone of you on the coast. It is unbelievable that Halliburton has been allowed to continue working for the USA after the sub-servient equipment they sold us for our servicemen and women serving in the Middle East....ppat

 

[luckydave215]

There's something the (liberal sensationalist) main stream media hasn't figured out (that I've seen anyway) and that's "Where exactly is the rig now?"
This event happened in relatively shallow water. If several hundred thousand tons of mangled rig are lying right on top of the BOP stack, all the ROV's in the world won't be able to reach it.
A BOP (blow out preventer) is one mean mother of a gilloutine valve, and can easily cut right through the chrome moly drill string to close, even the riser collapsing into it won't jam one!
BOP's are always "dead man switched" so they close in the event of a power failure. It didn't close, or it got blown right off the grouted in casing, or? There is something different about this particular one, and BP isn't saying what.

 

[saltshaker]

There's something the (liberal sensationalist) main stream media hasn't figured out (that I've seen anyway) and that's "Where exactly is the rig now?"
This event happened in relatively shallow water. If several hundred thousand tons of mangled rig are lying right on top of the BOP stack, all the ROV's in the world won't be able to reach it.
A BOP (blow out preventer) is one mean mother of a gilloutine valve, and can easily cut right through the chrome moly drill string to close, even the riser collapsing into it won't jam one!
BOP's are always "dead man switched" so they close in the event of a power failure. It didn't close, or it got blown right off the grouted in casing, or? There is something different about this particular one, and BP isn't saying what.

I thought this was in 5000ft deep water?

 

[Traveler 45C]

Fox has been reporting 5000 ft.

It is odd how just 3 weeks ago BO offered up the off shore drilling balloon... then this happens.

 

[Vincentc]

Regarding a "sea of oil" at your marina, consider the scale of things and plug these numbers into a spread sheet.

The spill is currently spread out over an area approximately 100 statute miles square. The estimated rate of discharge is 1000 to 5000 bbl per day.

Assuming 5000 bbl (210,000 gallons) and 20 days as of May 10, that totals 4.2 million gallons spread out over 10,000 square miles.

relate this to a 20x40 swimming pool with 800 square feet. multiply the ratio of the area of the swimming pool and the surface area of the slick times 4.2 million bbl and you get a spil of 1.55 OUNCES in your pool.

I am concerned that the greater disaster is the application of 100's of thousands of gallons of chemical into the Gulf and other emotional responses to this serious situation.

Likewise my boat and I are here in pascagoula. Looking out over the water, the only evidence of oil is the deployment and retrival of an oil boom yesterday.

Were is the hard information regarding the spill? I've checked the sites posted and done my own searches. I've found little or none. Lots of advocacy though.

 

[Traveler 45C]

If the blob keeps spreading out then dilution is the solution. That would be ideal.

But isn’t the danger here that the entire mess gets dumped on the beaches whole, pushed ashore by the wind?

 

[Vincentc]

Does oil on the water move with the wind or the current?
I've reviewed a report which indicates the currents in the area of the spill are moving to the south-southwest. The report was prepared prepared by a person I respect who has significant credentials re currents.

In addition, using the swimming pool anology. If the ounce and a half of oil all moves to one side of the pool, I do not see that as nearly as bad as it is being presented. Likewise how much is the usual dose of suntan oil applied to one person?

Dilution and time will probably do the most good.

 

[Traveler 45C]

I certainly hope so. I appreciate your optimism, I hope your right.

 

[TopHattandTails]

Is oil similar to diesel in that with a diesel spill on water, it evaporates, would the oil evaporate as well? Time is the best cure for a lot of these clean ups... Of course, you need to shut off the valve and finish making the mess before a clean up can start.

 

[spartonboat1]

Does oil on the water move with the wind or the current?
I've reviewed a report which indicates the currents in the area of the spill are moving to the south-southwest. The report was prepared prepared by a person I respect who has significant credentials re currents.

In addition, using the swimming pool anology. If the ounce and a half of oil all moves to one side of the pool, I do not see that as nearly as bad as it is being presented. Likewise how much is the usual dose of suntan oil applied to one person?

Dilution and time will probably do the most good.

Media inflammatory videos depict the results of the Exxon Valdez, which was loaded with Alaska heavy crude, that leaves the tar-like gummy stuff. The Gulf blow out is light sweet crude, that is much less viscous. In no way am I downgrading the Gulf results, which are unacceptable. But one reason that the mass media is losing 'eyeballs' is that they don't make a sincere effort to report the 'truth', but are making sensationalist reports.

That's my way of complaining about how little content of value is contained in the many hours of reporting. I just today saw the first reports (2 seconds length) that 'oil-skimmers' are in fact deployed, in addition to the passive oil booms.