Meksika Körfezi - Petrol Sızıntısı
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Gulf of Mexico - Oil Spill
06/09/2010 00:00:00
Gulf of Mexico - Oil Spill
The oilspillthat resulted from the explosion andsinkingof an oilrigin the Gulf of Mexico in 22nd of April is becoming moreworryingas it continues tospreadand efforts atstemmingtheflowof the leaking oil are being met with difficulties.
How big is the oil slickand how fast is it growing?
So farthe oil slick has not spread out enough to reach thecoastline, though officials areconcernedabout that possibility. The mostrecentNOAA report on the spill says that theedgeof the area with visible oil is now 21 miles (34 km) from the nearest point of land, which is the SW Pass at thetipof the Mississippi River Delta.
Initially, emergencyrespondersdidn't think that any oil was leaking out of thewellon the ocean floor some 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) below the ocean surface, a distanceroughlyequivalentto five Eiffel Towers. Avalveis supposed to automaticallyseal offthe well topreventanyleakage. Over the weekend, officials realized that the valve had not activated and that oil was indeed leaking from thecircuitousset of pipes that led from the well to the rig.
"There's still flow there coming from the well head. The well head issupplyingthe leaking oil. It's coming up from the well head, going out into thedrillpipe and into theriser. It's coming out of kinkor a bend in the riser," said Coast Guard Petty Officer Connie Terrell, who iscurrentlyworking for the Deepwater Horizon Response Joint Information Center. The riser is a protective covering around the drill pipe that also connects the pipe to the drilling rig.
The kink or bend in the riserprobablyoccurredwhen the rig went down, because it is attached to the rig, said Paul Bommer, a petrogeologist at University of Texas at Austin.
Why can't they plugthe leak?
To plug the leak, Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) have beendeployedto try totriggertheblowoutpreventer (BOP), a valve that, when activated, wouldsecurethe leak, Terrell explained. The valve is located at the well head on the ocean floor.
"Right now, what the ROVs are doing is pumping a hydraulic fluid into the blowout preventer, in hopes to build pressure [to] close the hydraulic valve," Terrell told LiveScience. "The valve issupposed toto work automatically, so now we're trying tocome up withdifferent ways to activate the blowout preventer manually."
The BOP'smalfunctionin this case — something that Terrell said is uncommon — will be part of ongoinginvestigationsinto theincident.
The ROV robot subs, manufactured by a company called Oceaneering, have been anintegralpart of the effort to control the leaking oil.
"The ROVs are our eyes and our hands down there," Terrell said. "We can't just go down 5,000 feet and work in that environment. So, they are definitely playing the biggest role."
"We've been trying for several days to activate it," Terrell said. "Nothing we've been doing has been successful in securing the leak so far."
Engineers around the world are working together with BP todeviseother ways to activate the valve andcontainthe leak.
What other ways are they trying to stop the oil from leaking?
In addition tousing ROVs to try to plug the leak, BP announced on Tuesday that they plan to begin drilling a separate relief well to redirect some of the leaking oil.
According to news reports, this $100 million operation will take pressure off the blown-out well, and BP plans to begin drilling Thursdayregardlessof whether the response team reaches the valve at the well's head to shut off the leaking oil.
How are they trying to clean up the oil?
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, more than 29,280 feet (8,925 meters) of boom has beenassignedtosurroundand contain the spill, and 49 responsevesselsare being used,includingskimmers,tugs,bargesand otherrecoveryvessels.
Engineers are also working on buildingdomethat could be placed over the leaks tocordon offthe area and collect the oily water. The domes, which would reach all the way to the ocean floor, would be placed over each leak, essentially closing off the area, and inside, large tubes wouldfunnelthe oil to the water's surface for collection by clean-up crews.
Thespecificationsof the collection domes are still beingworked out, and engineers arefiguring outhow to employ them effectively and safely.
"Collection domes have been used in the past, but inshallowerwaters," Terrell said. "So, they've never been used at depths of 5,000 feet (1,524 meters)."
Meksika Körfezi - Petrol Sızıntısı - Gulf of Mexico - Oil Spill
Gulf of Mexico - Oil Spill
The oilspillthat resulted from the explosion andsinkingof an oilrigin the Gulf of Mexico in 22nd of April is becoming moreworryingas it continues tospreadand efforts atstemmingtheflowof the leaking oil are being met with difficulties.
How big is the oil slickand how fast is it growing?
So farthe oil slick has not spread out enough to reach thecoastline, though officials areconcernedabout that possibility. The mostrecentNOAA report on the spill says that theedgeof the area with visible oil is now 21 miles (34 km) from the nearest point of land, which is the SW Pass at thetipof the Mississippi River Delta.
Initially, emergencyrespondersdidn't think that any oil was leaking out of thewellon the ocean floor some 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) below the ocean surface, a distanceroughlyequivalentto five Eiffel Towers. Avalveis supposed to automaticallyseal offthe well topreventanyleakage. Over the weekend, officials realized that the valve had not activated and that oil was indeed leaking from thecircuitousset of pipes that led from the well to the rig.
"There's still flow there coming from the well head. The well head issupplyingthe leaking oil. It's coming up from the well head, going out into thedrillpipe and into theriser. It's coming out of kinkor a bend in the riser," said Coast Guard Petty Officer Connie Terrell, who iscurrentlyworking for the Deepwater Horizon Response Joint Information Center. The riser is a protective covering around the drill pipe that also connects the pipe to the drilling rig.
The kink or bend in the riserprobablyoccurredwhen the rig went down, because it is attached to the rig, said Paul Bommer, a petrogeologist at University of Texas at Austin.
Why can't they plugthe leak?
To plug the leak, Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) have beendeployedto try totriggertheblowoutpreventer (BOP), a valve that, when activated, wouldsecurethe leak, Terrell explained. The valve is located at the well head on the ocean floor.
"Right now, what the ROVs are doing is pumping a hydraulic fluid into the blowout preventer, in hopes to build pressure [to] close the hydraulic valve," Terrell told LiveScience. "The valve issupposed toto work automatically, so now we're trying tocome up withdifferent ways to activate the blowout preventer manually."
The BOP'smalfunctionin this case — something that Terrell said is uncommon — will be part of ongoinginvestigationsinto theincident.
The ROV robot subs, manufactured by a company called Oceaneering, have been anintegralpart of the effort to control the leaking oil.
"The ROVs are our eyes and our hands down there," Terrell said. "We can't just go down 5,000 feet and work in that environment. So, they are definitely playing the biggest role."
"We've been trying for several days to activate it," Terrell said. "Nothing we've been doing has been successful in securing the leak so far."
Engineers around the world are working together with BP todeviseother ways to activate the valve andcontainthe leak.
What other ways are they trying to stop the oil from leaking?
In addition tousing ROVs to try to plug the leak, BP announced on Tuesday that they plan to begin drilling a separate relief well to redirect some of the leaking oil.
According to news reports, this $100 million operation will take pressure off the blown-out well, and BP plans to begin drilling Thursdayregardlessof whether the response team reaches the valve at the well's head to shut off the leaking oil.
How are they trying to clean up the oil?
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, more than 29,280 feet (8,925 meters) of boom has beenassignedtosurroundand contain the spill, and 49 responsevesselsare being used,includingskimmers,tugs,bargesand otherrecoveryvessels.
Engineers are also working on buildingdomethat could be placed over the leaks tocordon offthe area and collect the oily water. The domes, which would reach all the way to the ocean floor, would be placed over each leak, essentially closing off the area, and inside, large tubes wouldfunnelthe oil to the water's surface for collection by clean-up crews.
Thespecificationsof the collection domes are still beingworked out, and engineers arefiguring outhow to employ them effectively and safely.
"Collection domes have been used in the past, but inshallowerwaters," Terrell said. "So, they've never been used at depths of 5,000 feet (1,524 meters)."
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0428/Gulf-of-Mexico-oil-spill-How-bad-is-it
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