Explain to me what a torch or thermite is going to do.

Post #328,082 by Another Scott 6/16/10 11:34:08 AM Reply	Explain to me what a torch or thermite is going to do. Other than make it worse. You've got a 20-some-odd inch pipe with something like 2M gal/day of oil (and millions of cubic feet of gas) coming out at 2000+ PSI. What is a torch or thermite going to do to seal that big a leak? Thanks. Cheers, Scott.
Post #328,083 by boxley 6/16/10 11:37:32 AM Reply	here, have a boo apparently I am not the only one thinking along these lines http://www.facebook....topic=95&post=525 To my knowledge, anecdotal information leads me to believe that when Saddam Hussein scuttled offshore production rigs during the invasion of Iraq by the U.S. Military the U.S. Military sealed wells running wild off the coast of Iraq, (off the port of Basra), with the same methods. They weren't as deep, but they purportedly used the same methods for a quick seal.
Post #328,087 by Another Scott 6/16/10 12:05:58 PM Reply	Heh. But I'm discounting this theory as unworkable. Thought experiments are nice, but reality is a little more complicated. Cheers, Scott.
Post #328,088 by Another Scott 6/16/10 12:12:42 PM Reply	Who is that mysterious stranger at the end of that page? :-)
Post #328,089 by boxley 6/16/10 12:17:17 PM Reply	my idea is different as you noticed
Post #328,094 by Another Scott 6/16/10 12:33:26 PM Reply	Where's the oxygen going to come from to "burn" it? It won't work. Sorry. Cheers, Scott.
Post #328,096 by boxley 6/16/10 12:41:44 PM Reply	Doesnt need oxygen, whole point of the idea its a chemical reaction not a fire check here under water http://www.youtube.c...tch?v=d0twTXVlneY more fun here http://video.google....1843493488769585#
Post #328,097 by boxley 6/16/10 12:48:45 PM Reply	Mythbusters Toast 1/2 Ton of Thermite http://www.youtube.c...Q&feature=related
Post #328,098 by Another Scott 6/16/10 12:54:43 PM Reply	Not the same thing. That's a thermite reaction. You get similar effects dropping pure sodium or pure magnesium in water - lots of heat and lots of light. "Burning" is oxidation of something. Putting thermite in a high pressure stream of oil and natural gas isn't going to make the oil and natural gas burn unless there's a significant source of oxygen. There isn't one under the ocean. (Recall that fiery blowouts on land used to be put out with dynamite (which blows away the oxygen for combustion).) Heating up a small portion of the stream to some high temperature isn't going to solve anything. I suspect the thermite would quickly be extinguished by the rushing oil and gas (e.g. quickly buried by a coating of tar). Plus, there's the minor issue of safely supplying thermite to the well head... It's not going to work. Sorry. Cheers, Scott.
Post #328,084 by boxley 6/16/10 11:38:44 AM Reply	BTW administration claims 40k bpd not 2 million
Post #328,086 by Another Scott 6/16/10 12:00:08 PM Reply	40k barrels/day * 42 gallons/barrel = 1.7M gal/day. HTH :-)

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