BP Investor Presentation

Posted on June 21, 2010 by zerbe

Q. How was the $20 billion number for the compensation package established?
A. Negotiation with the government.
Nervousness with the cap of liability of $75 million based on oil and gas law of 1995. BP has assured that all the claims would be met from the beginning.

Fines from the federal and state governments are not included in the $20 billion compensation package.

Q. Are partners involved in the $20 billion package?
A. Expected to take care of their appropriate share.

Q. What are the assets for the compensation package:
$10 billion in cash paid over three years.
$10 billion in non-core assets that are not strategic to the longer term success of BP. Upstream.

Q. How was it productive based on the aggressive stance of the US government?
A. Had a constructive conversation with the feds and the administration.

Spent: $1.75 Billion
Split in Engineering and Cleanup

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Hydrostatic Pressure as a Function of Depth

Posted on June 21, 2010 by zerbe

The static pressure caused by a fluid varies with depth according to:

P = ρ gh

where:
P is the pressure in pascals; 1 pascal = 1 newton /meter2
ρ is the density of the fluid in kilograms /meter3
g is gravitational acceleration, 9.8 meters / second2
h is the depth below the surface of the fluid, in meters

Complete Physics 213 Laboratory here

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Small Top Hat

Posted on June 21, 2010 by zerbe

Here are some images of the small top hat that is currently being used to recover around 11,000 barrels of oil in a twelve hour period (ranges vary from 7,780 to 14,570 barrels).

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Subsea Sea Water

Posted on June 21, 2010 by zerbe

Seawater is denser than fresh water because of the salts’ added mass.

The freezing point of sea water is about -2 ºC.

Deep in the ocean, under high pressure, seawater can reach a density of 1,050 kg•m−3 or higher.

From wikipedia:
The average density of seawater at the ocean surface is 1.025 g/ml; seawater is denser than freshwater (which reaches a maximum density of 1.000 g/ml at a temperature of 4 °C (39 °F)) because of the salts’ added mass. The freezing point of sea water decreases with increasing salinity and is about −2 °C (28.4 °F) at 35 g/L (equivalent to 599 mM/L).[1] The coldest sea water ever was discovered in a stream under a glacier in the Antarctic in 2010 and measured −2.6 °C (27 °F).

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Methane Hydrates

Posted on June 21, 2010 by zerbe

Use the methane hydrates that blocked the flow of oil in the first dome to freeze the BOP preventer and liquid inside the containment dome. Instead of having this be a hinderance for the subsea leak stopping, use it to our advantage.
Methane clathrate

From Wikipedia on Methane clathrate:
In the less common second type found near the sediment surface some samples have a higher proportion of longer-chain hydrocarbons (<99% methane) contained in a structure II clathrate. Carbon from this type of clathrate is isotopically heavier (δ13C is -29 to -57 ‰) and is thought to have migrated upwards from deep sediments, where methane was formed by thermal decomposition of organic matter. Examples of this type of deposit have been found in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caspian Sea.[8] See this listing in wikipedia for additional information

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Macondo Well Information

Posted on June 21, 2010 by zerbe

This chart shows the design, depth, diameter, and temperature of the Macondo Well where the oil from the BP oil spill is leaking from.


PDF of Macondo Well

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Density of CO2

Posted on June 20, 2010 by zerbe

Molecular Weight
Molecular weigh of CO2: 44.01 g/mol

Molecular weight of H2O: 18.02 g/mol

My approximation of the Molecular weight of Sea Water: 17.387 g/mol (????).

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Russian Nuclear Explosion to stop oil flame

Posted on June 20, 2010 by zerbe

The nuclear explosion was used as a last resort after a gas-well blaze lasted for three years. The incredible heat was a main deterrent in bringing the flame under control. The nuclear bomb was put down a drill shaft below many gas impermeable strata. The shock wave of the explosion liquified the rock around it and sealed it off. Nuclear radition was not detected on the surface.

This is not a viable alternative because of the complexity of getting the nuclear device that deep in the ocean and the ecological risks associated with it.

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Physical Conditions Present a Mile Down in Seawater

Posted on June 19, 2010 by zerbe

Here is a great post from grolaw on alternet.org. For the original article click here.

grolaw writes:

One thing I’ve noticed is that very little is published about the physical conditions present a mile down in seawater. That environment is more hostile – by far – than near space. Consider that the barometric pressure at sea level is about 14.7 p.s.i. (29.9 mm Hg), 101.3 kPa. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_Earth

Water has a density of approximately one (1) gram per cubic centimeter. The hydrostatic pressure at 5000+ ft down in the ocean is monstrous. it is also very cold. http://bit.ly/cZnaqu

At 1,538,461 centimeters (1.54 Km) the water pressure is roughly 1,538 Kg/cm^2. Methane ((CH4) commonly known as marsh gas or a “fart”) is frozen slush at that pressure. Short chain hydrocarbons (gasses) are liquids at that low temperature and high pressure (i.e. C2H6 – Ethane, C3H8 Propane…) and longer chain hydrocarbons are viscous (imagine WD-40 tm as viscous (thick) as honey).

It is also entirely without natural light – so, we have a pressure of more than a metric ton per square centimeter, no light, temperatures are close to 40 F and hydrocarbons spewing out of the end of the wellhead at pressures substantially in excess of of the hydrostatic pressure at that depth.

The visibility is further limited by the turbulent and opaque hydrocarbon spew and any ability to manipulate flanges by robot would have to take into account all of these incredible physical conditions.

Frankly, I doubt that there will ever be a remedy – short of equilibrium.

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Carbon Dioxide CO2 Properties

Posted on June 19, 2010 by zerbe
Molecular Weight
  • Molecular weigh of CO2: 44.01 g/mol
  • Molecular weight of H2O: 18.02 g/mol
  • Molecular weight of Sea Water: 17.387 g/mol (????)
Solid phase
  • Latent heat of fusion (1,013 bar, at triple point) : 196.104 kJ/kg
  • Solid density: 1562 kg/m3
Liquid phase
  • Liquid density (at -20 °C (or -4 °F) and 19.7 bar): 1032 kg/m3
  • Liquid/gas equivalent (1.013 bar and 15 °C (per kg of solid)) : 845 vol/vol
  • Boiling point (Sublimation) : -78.5 °C
  • Latent heat of vaporization (1.013 bar at boiling point) : 571.08 kJ/kg
  • Vapor pressure (at 20 °C or 68 °F) : 58.5 bar

CO2 Molar Mass:
44.010 g/mol

CO2 Density:
1.562 g/mL (solid at 1 atm and −78.5 °C)
0.770 g/mL (liquid at 56 atm and 20 °C)
1.977 g/L (gas at 1 atm and 0 °C)
849.6 g/L (supercritical fluid at 150 atm and 30 °C

Melting Point:
-78 °C, 194.7 K, -109 °F (subl.)

Boiling Point:
-57 °C, 216.6 K, -70 °F (at 5.185 bar)
CO2 Molar Mass:44.010 g/mol

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Freezing Point of Salt Water

Posted on June 19, 2010 by zerbe

Generally, the freeing point of salt water is -2 ºC.
H2O (water): 18.018 g/mol
NaCL (salt): 58.443 g/mol

Sea water is denser than freshwater
Sea Water on average has a salinity of about 3.5%
Weighted average of the molecular weight: 0.965 * 18.018 + 0.035 * 58.443 = 17.387 g/mol
Please check this calculation as it is just a weighted average.

The freezing point of salt water at a depth of 5,000 feet will definitely be less -2 ºC.

Please help me figure out what temperature salt water would freeze at at a depth of 5,000 feet.

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Really Interesting Idea from Scott at the mindshaftgap

Posted on June 18, 2010 by zerbe

Here is a great article from Scott at the mindshaftgap.  He explores using liquid nitrogen to increase the viscosity of oil and eventually freeze it.  The article also provides some great figures and graphs on oil at varying temperatures.  The problem for his proposal is that liquid nitrogen is boiling at the temperature found down there (liquid nitrogen freezes at -210 ºC).  While I don’t want to give up on liquid nitrogen completely, I propose using CO2 which has a freezing temperature of -70 ºC.  Still too warm to freeze, but closer to the temperatures 5,000 feet below.

Definitely worth the read.

Here is some of his background information on oil and flow:

Crude oil and two-phase crude oil/gas mixtures have a very strong viscosity dependency on temperature.  At lower temperatures (especially below 0˚F) the viscosity of crude oil and its mixtures increase very rapidly.  As can be seen in the figure I generated below and to the left, the mass flowrate of a fluid through a pipe at constant pressure drop is a very strong function of the viscosity of the fluid flowing in the pipe.  Next to it is a plot of viscosity vs. temperature for a two-phase mixture of light crude and natural gas (as the flow coming out of the Deepwater Horizon wellhead is) at a bunch of different pressures.

and some diagrams.

Thanks Scott for the great work and sharing your idea! (be sure to let me know if you have a problem with me reproducing your info)

Posted in Liquid Nitrogen, Solution | 2 Comments

Stop the BP Oil Leak

Posted on June 11, 2010 by zerbe

The BP Oil spill is a tragedy on an epic scale.  The lack of any adequate resolution is a wake up call to the world of the trouble humans are capable of getting themselves in.

My solution is to use ice (likely created by CO2, aka Dry Ice) to freeze the ground near and around the blow out preventor, the blow out preventor, and the salt water near the leak.  By slowly freezing the water we can reduce the viscosity of the oil and slowly overtake the force of the leaking oil.

More details to follow.

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