Re: [rp-ml] How could RP & RM help in solving BP's Gulf Catastrophe?

Gentleman, Isn't there also a problem with liquids expanding when frozen (I don't know about oil)? Also, you seem to be forgetting that BOP (blow out preventer) that is still in place at the top of the pipe (there's not a snowball's chance in hell, BP will remove that). If you just freeze the stuff at the very top (which you probably can't do anyway), then you essentially just have another plug at the top keeping in all that tremendous pressure remaining in the pipe + now with possible liquid expansion pressure to boot. You are all forgetting many other parameters to this problem. One other big one, has to do with BP's original incompetence when they put the main pipe in place and surrounded it with concrete. I believe it is fairly clear now that this was not properly done and the the concrete may have been far too thin and defective. If you do anything that could break the either the original pipe, or the concrete surrounding the pipe you could have a 1-2
 order of magnitude increase in the problem (oil and gas would shoot up around the pipe and create an ever larger path for it) . BP may be incompetent, but they're not THAT stupid (and least I hope not)! G. Sachs (original post appended) P.S. Well may their CEO is! ________________________________ From: Steve Pinkston <SPinkston_at_essexind.com> To: Adrian Bowyer <A.Bowyer_at_bath.ac.uk>; Markus Hitter <mah_at_jump-ing.de> Cc: rp-ml_at_rapid.lpt.fi Sent: Wed, June 9, 2010 3:45:01 PM Subject: RE: [rp-ml] How could RP & RM help in solving BP's Gulf Catastrophe? Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 11:19 AM To: rp-ml_at_rapid.lpt.fi Subject: [rp-ml] How could RP & RM help in solving BP's Gulf Catastrophe?   I was wonder how various RP processes, including AM, might help in the Gulf oil disaster. I don't expect the "geniuses" at BP (or even in the government) to have spent much time thinking about that one. I have at least one idea, and thought it might be a good way to RM a higher profile. First suggestion I have: Use scanners to scan the badly cut wellhead and then create a CAD model of the opening. Make a perfectly mating pipe joint that can have a rubber seal attached to it. Use rapid prototyping in combination with rapid casting to create this joint. This could be tried before trying to make another better cut (and might be faster). And - by the way, BP - this idea isn't free, if you don't already have it in your little "suggestion box" of free ideas (that you and your buddies in the government won't release to the public). I am sure at this time of crisis, BP likes nothing better than getting all those helpful free suggestions and volunteers. Poor BP, they need all the free help they can get, I guess. G. Sachs Paradyme Systems U.S.A. You wouldn't be able to pump the LN2 from the surface down to that level. It would probably take weeks, if not months for it to get there. At our plant it can take 5 minutes just to get the liquid to come out of a 6 foot hose 5/8" dia, and that's with air touching the hose, not water. The thermal conduction would kill the process. It may be possible to lower a complete tank and operate it with their robots though. I am not sure if anyone makes 3000 psi cryo tanks though. There is a similar process used in the plumbing industry. a collar is placed around a pipe that needs repair and CO2 is pumped through it, freezing the liquid inside the pipe. The pipe can then be cut and repaired and the ice plug melts after the repair. Steve R. Pinkston Engineering Manager, Aerospace & Defense Division   Essex Ind., Inc.                        6 Sunnen Drive St. Louis, MO 63143 314-644-3000, Ext 347 spinkston_at_essexind.com        www.essexind.com -----Original Message----- From: owner-rp-ml_at_rapid.lpt.fi [mailto:owner-rp-ml_at_rapid.lpt.fi] On Behalf Of Adrian Bowyer Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 1:59 PM To: Markus Hitter Cc: rp-ml_at_rapid.lpt.fi Subject: Re: [rp-ml] How could RP & RM help in solving BP's Gulf Catastrophe? Markus Hitter wrote: > > Am 09.06.2010 um 00:33 schrieb Adrian Bowyer: > >> A reasonable amount of liquid nitrogen should be able to create a >> significant-sized block of ice round the leak. > > Then you have a hose with ice around it. Of course the ice will have a > hole approxximately the size of the hose, as the oil constantly > flowing out of the hose will quickly melt away any ice getting in it's way. Not if you cool the oil enough.  Then it'll go like foamed tar, and finally pitch. Best wishes Adrian Dr Adrian Bowyer http://people.bath.ac.uk/ensab http://reprap.org
Received on Wed Jun 09 23:11:49 2010