I'm sure this isn't good for the environment, but it looks cool.



Link

Video shows flames boiling in Gulf of Mexico after huge Pemex gas pipeline rupture

Mexico’s state-owned oil company said Friday it suffered a rupture in an undersea gas pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico, sending flames boiling to the surface in the Gulf waters.

Petroleos Mexicanos said it had dispatched fire control boats to pump more water over the flames.

Pemex, as the company is known, said nobody was injured in the incident in the offshore Ku-Maloob-Zaap field.

The leak near dawn Friday occurred about 150 yards from a drilling platform. The company said it had brought the gas leak under control about five hours later.

But the accident gave rise to the strange sight of roiling balls of flame boiling up from below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico.

I've often wondered why they don't just burn off oil spills. It would seem that the clean up would be a whole lot easier.

They're fortunate it's 150 yards from the platform instead of under the platform

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
I've often wondered why they don't just burn off oil spills. It would seem that the clean up would be a whole lot easier.

It's a tool in our toolbox, but we have to get gov't permission

Makes you wonder just how much spraying a little water is doing when the whole Gulf of Mexico can't put it out.

While it may be possible to burn petrochemical releases, my thoughts are:

1. Arresting the flow of oil is the best way to eliminate adding to the environmental damage, which is why I believe arrestors are mandated for the well head.

2. As oil spreads, its concentration becomes sufficiently diluted that its ignition becomes more difficult/impossible.

3. Burning oil creates other environmental toxic by-products.

quote:

Originally posted by Oz_Shadow:
Makes you wonder just how much spraying a little water is doing when the whole Gulf of Mexico can't put it out.

It doesn't look like they're trying to put it out. Instead it looks like they're spraying the perimeter to push the surfacing gas in a better direction.

Does anyone know how the oil ignited?


I remember a demonstration where someone tried to light home heating oil with a match and it wouldn't take. Something about how it had to be heated to a certain temp then vaporized.

Totally random question:

Tatortodd, since you're in the business, I believe, do you have any idea how this oilfield got the name "Ku-Maloob-Zaap"?????

I see it's three separate fields of those names, but none of those sound remotely Spanish or Nahuatl or similar native language.

Are they named after people who found the fields or something?

quote:

Originally posted by Hildur:
Does anyone know how the oil ignited?


I remember a demonstration where someone tried to light home heating oil with a match and it wouldn't take. Something about how it had to be heated to a certain temp then vaporized.

It's not oil, it's natural gas

quote:

Originally posted by Oat_Action_Man:
Totally random question:

Tatortodd, since you're in the business, I believe, do you have any idea how this oilfield got the name "Ku-Maloob-Zaap"?????

I see it's three separate fields of those names, but none of those sound remotely Spanish or Nahuatl or similar native language.

Are they named after people who found the fields or something?

No idea on either question.

The fields are already named well before I get involved. I've seen all kinds of naming conventions including where the various blocks in a large field all follow the same theme (e.g. type of fish).

The POS commie mayor and village idiot de blasio just couldn’t restrain himself to bless us all with his opinion on this fire.

From Citizen Free Press -

Communist Bill de Bozo Idiotically Blames ‘Corporate Greed’ for State-Owned Gas Pipeline Disaster in Gulf

The horses-ass was not aware that the operation was nationalized by the Mexican government in 1938 and run by them since then.

What a maroon!

When I saw this story yesterday, I just assumed the workers on the oil rig were from Cleveland.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

Originally posted by Oz_Shadow:
Makes you wonder just how much spraying a little water is doing when the whole Gulf of Mexico can't put it out.

It doesn't look like they're trying to put it out. Instead it looks like they're spraying the perimeter to push the surfacing gas in a better direction.

At first I thought the same, but the direction is closer to the platform. Wouldn't it make more sense to position the ships alongside the platform and direct the fire away?

quote:

Originally posted by Orguss:

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

Originally posted by Oz_Shadow:
Makes you wonder just how much spraying a little water is doing when the whole Gulf of Mexico can't put it out.

It doesn't look like they're trying to put it out. Instead it looks like they're spraying the perimeter to push the surfacing gas in a better direction.

At first I thought the same, but the direction is closer to the platform. Wouldn't it make more sense to position the ships alongside the platform and direct the fire away?

The ship with the largest spray is going ~45 deg from the wind direction pushing away from platform. The smallest flow ship is pushing ~90 deg from wind direction pushing away from platform. I have no idea WTF medium flow ship is doing.

I don't see enough room between edge of gas bubbles and platform for a ship to safely position itself. Every captain is responsible for people/souls onboard.

Additionally, the story leaves out lots of details such as did they abandon platform after closing topside and subsea natural gas valves? In other words, don't risk lives on ships if platform is abandoned.

Apparently the platform wasn't manned to begin with. The back half or so of the platform seemed to be showing major fire damage.

The natural gas apparently ignited due to some kind of problem with a valve. "Corporate greed"? Maybe in a sense, even though PEMEX is nationalized - over the past fifteen years or so PEMEX seems to have developed a real reputation for underfunding maintenance.

Does anyone know if either natural gas or the pipe system would have oxygen in it? Fire under the sea was a whole new one on me - I'm not sure I've ever seen that, even with footage of lava flowing into the sea.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
It's not oil, it's natural gas

Since you're the resident authority here, what's the environmental impact of this sort of 'leak'? It would seem the gas would burn off without much negative impact to the sea or air, with the exception of some poached seafood.

When I first saw the picture I was expecting to see Godzilla to rise out of the middle of that thing.

That’s crazy. I’d never have believed that if it wasn’t on video.

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
It's not oil, it's natural gas

Since you're the resident authority here, what's the environmental impact of this sort of 'leak'?

I can’t envision any medium or long term impacts