Gulf Coast Oil Spill

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But that's my point. Those recycling plants are likely to be pretty nasty, caustic places themselves and there will almost certainly be large numbers of people that fail to use them and instead just dump their batteries somewhere convenient and out of the way.

Imagine what might happen in the third world too where if there's no financial reason to recycle it won't happen.

I'm not trying to say that electric cars are bad. I'd guess that they will be a significant improvement over what we have now, but even electric cars will have a significant environmental impact.
 
In a scuba related vain what do you think shut down PST in Milwaukee, answer, enviromental issues.
 
It is the government's responsibility to take that first major step by subsidizing alternative energy so people will adopt it.

Here is a list of what congress has the power to pass laws on which one lets it spend our money on new energy. Thats the job of private investment.

Randy

Section 8 - Powers of Congress
The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
To borrow money on the credit of the United States;
To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;
To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;
To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;
To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;
To establish Post Offices and Post Roads;
To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;
To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;
To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations;
To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;
To provide and maintain a Navy;
To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;
To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;
To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;
To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings; And
To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.
 
I wish the engineers would think of this stuff BEFORE they build it. Just take 5 minutes and think, "what happens if this super deep oil well breaks open, then what do we do?"

sigh, this is all so upsetting

Do you really believe the engineers don't "think" about this kind of stuff before the oil company to spends a billion dollars on a platform??? Of course they do!

Of course the the engineers do consider the worst case scenario and have devices to handle it. I have no first hand knowledge of BP's inner workings, but I have been an engineer in the oilfield long enough to guarantee you that BP engineers "thought" about this scenario and had engineering controls for it. The problem appears to be that the engineering controls (blow out preventers) failed for some, as of yet, unknown reason.

You seem to think that these engineers don't eat, drink, swim and live in and around the same waters you do. They do, and they are just as concerned about keeping our environment clean as you are.
 
Here is a list of what congress has the power to pass laws on which one lets it spend our money on new energy. Thats the job of private investment.

Randy

powers of congress?

I don't see the section that deals with making Goldman Sachs and other PRIVATE wall street firms whole with taxpayer money... :rofl3:

It's ironic that whenever convenient the constitution is cited, in other cases it ceases to exist.

I am not saying that it does not take time to make the transition to alternative energy, of course it does, the technology IS THERE right now... the argument that it cannot happen is just an excuse. As an example Brazil has most of their vehicles running on FlexFuel. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...bal-dissemination-by-automakers-86675017.html There are many promising fuel cell prototypes running around as well.. I rode in one when I was at BMW's test track in Munich last year, they are just expensive to produce right now.

The impetus needs to come from government. Private industry works for profit, not for the environment.
 
Does anyone have knowledge how the shut-off valve works and why it cannot be activated at the moment?

3D Rig Animation

Here is a video that kind of explains the process of drilling a well on land. Of course it is much more difficult when you are in 5000' of water but it is similar. The BOP in this case is on the sea floor. I will look for something a little more detailed about the BOP it'self and try and post a link when I find a good example of what I think you are wanting to know.

In the meantime you can google cameron blow out preventer and get an idea, I am pretty sure that is the BOP that was in use on this well.


Anyway they are valves that are hydraulically activated. There are several sizes and pressure ratings available. I believe the one used was rated for 15,000 psi. The valves are stacked on top of each other and generally consist of 4 types, an annular preventer, a sort of rubber inflateable donut that is inflated hydraulically, a blind ram, used to close in when there is no pipe in the hole, pipe ram, of course when there is pipe in the hole and in some instances, this one included there is also a shear ram. The shear ram is supposed to be able to shear the drill string and allow shutting the well in, the shear ram is a last resort type secenario. I think, though I dont know for sure this probably what failed to work in this instance. I am not sure why it didn't work though. There is generally 2 sets of pipe rams and possibly a second blind ram in the stack. The entire set is referred to as the BOP stack. Hope that helps, in the meantime I will look for a diagram that may show you better how it works.
 
Kinda makes ya wonder how many other potential disasters are sitting out there waiting to happen ... why it happened ... why that BOP ain't working like it was supposed to.

Betchya somebody took some shortcuts, pocketed some profits, and walked away leaving the public to pay for the consequences. But I suspect, when it's all said and done, that we'll never really find out.

About all we can count on is that no matter what happens, it'll get used as an excuse to raise gas prices ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Bob, I appreciate your cynicism, as I am often cynical myself. In my 15 years of experience with systems on offshore platforms, I have never seen an instance where safety related shortcuts are taken as a result of graft. There is simply too much at risk. There's too much government oversight, too much testing with too many people looking at everything you do to cut corners like that. In major oil companies these days, it is stressed to every single person involved in any project that we all have "stop work authority", without negative repercussions. That means if ANYONE has a belief that any part of our work is unsafe, we have the authority to bring the job to a halt until the concerns are resolved. I have never worked directly for BP, but I have worked for enough major oil companies that you would have a very difficult time convincing me that this is anything but accidental.
 
But that's my point. Those recycling plants are likely to be pretty nasty, caustic places themselves and there will almost certainly be large numbers of people that fail to use them and instead just dump their batteries somewhere convenient and out of the way.

Imagine what might happen in the third world too where if there's no financial reason to recycle it won't happen.

I'm not trying to say that electric cars are bad. I'd guess that they will be a significant improvement over what we have now, but even electric cars will have a significant environmental impact.

and I believe that the average lifespan is only 5 years and they cost big bucks to replace....:shakehead:
 

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