TRS Foundation

Day 71

Solution that we could use to defend ourselves while also protecting attacker from injury.

Yesterday, we posted a theory for putting an end to this disaster in the Gulf: use the force of the oil against itself. Today, we present our concept based on this theory to put an end to the most devastating environmental disaster of our history.

Snapshot of BP live feed on June 23rd

The principle of this concept is based on a ball check valve that contains strategically engineered ram-fed passages inside the walls of the device for bypassing oil pressure. The primary cylinder of this device is equipped with O-rings to serve as the sealing mechanism at the top and to hold the ball in place on the bottom.

Cross-section of device

The bladder-shaped passages inside the walls channel the oil out of the device while alleviating the pressure to ensure precision and ease of installation. The ram-fed passages increase the velocity of the oil flow just prior to exiting the top vents creating a suction force which aids the release of pressure. In between each passage are additional vents to enable and manipulate the flow of oil through the device. These vents help control the oil pressure pushing against the primary cylinder. Once the device is in place, the vents can be closed, activating the check valve. Therefore, as we presented in our theory, we use the force of the oil spill to cap itself.

The diagram to the right displays a cross-section view of our concept while it is stationary. The red dots represent O-rings that will seal the device to the leaking pipe and the device itself. The black elements indicate butterfly valves as inlet and exit ports of the oil flow. Portions of these vents are equipped with bladder-shaped passages. As with most ball check valves, there is a portion near the top where the body comes in so that the ball can seal against the O-ring and not allow fluid to pass. This body shape for a ball check valve is common.

How it will work

Cross-section of device once attached to leaking pipe

A very simplified depiction of how this concept will work is shown in figures above and below. The purple arrows represent the flow of oil through the bladder-shaped passages.

In the diagram above, the device channels the oil vigorously through its ten openings. The oil will flow through the bladder-shaped passages, vents, primary cylinder of the device and around the ball. Each of these openings in the device cause some of the oil pressure to be bypassed so that the device can be attached to the leaking pipe without as much force.

The pressure inside the primary cylinder will increase, raising the ball as shown below (left). When the vents and passages are closed via the butterfly valves, the oil is no longer bypassing through the openings of the body. This causes the oil pressure to direct its energy and push the ball up towards the O-ring, and consequently seal the device as shown below (right).

Cross-section of device with butterfly valves open (left) and closed (right)

The figure below and to the left displays a cross-section view of the device with the bladder-shaped passages inside (left) and a front view of the passages.

Cross-section (left) and front view (right) of bladder-shaped passages

Top view (top) of device and cross-section view (right) of openings with butterfly valves

The passages expand at the exit point. This mechanism creates an increase in velocity, and a suction force that helps the oil escape efficiently. In turn, it provides ease of installation. The bladder’s wall thickness also increases at the exit point to further prevent rupture and over pressurization.

The diagram to the right displays a top view (up) of the device and a side view of the opening and closing mechanism (bottom) for each hole. From the top view, there are 10 openings, 5 of which contain connected passages and 5 of which are vents. The vents allow for the oil to pass through the device for easy installation. The two images show the closed (left) and open (right) positions. Each of these openings contain a butterfly valve which can be triggered to close once the device is attached to the leaking pipe.

Below is a list of requirements that must be considered in developing this concept:

• The material and weight of the ball must be calculated based on the pressure bypassed through the openings
• The sequence of the valve operation is critical to manage the pressure to activate the check valve.
• A retaining spring could be explored for connecting the ball to properly manage the check valve function.
• All material properties used in this device must be properly engineered for the ocean floor conditions and petro-chemical application.

This is one concept we have developed from our theory post. We invite everyone’s participation to share and contribute their knowledge and experience to develop this or another concept so that we can have a truly effective action for disasters such as this.

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We are currently 70 days into this disaster. With the rising estimates of oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, and the lack of success BP has had, it’s more critical than ever to take innovative concepts and develop them into solutions for putting an end to this disaster.

Screenshot of the gusher of oil with containment cap removed from BP live feed on June 23rd

We recently posted several things about the disaster in the Gulf: timeline of events, by-the-numbers look and cold hard truths about BP’s intentions. One thing we haven’t touched upon, however, is a theory of our own. Our theory is simple: use the force of the oil against itself.

Below is a simplified list of the attempts made by BP for containing and/or stopping the leak. For a more detailed breakdown, please view our previous blog post.

25 April – BP fails to activate the shutoff valves
7 May – 100-ton “Top Hat” fails when crystals build up
14 May - Riser insertion tube tool (RITT) used to collect oil and succeeds in collecting 2,000 barrels/day by May 16
17 May – 2-ton “Top Hat” fails
29 May - “Top Kill” fails
30 May – “Junk Shot” fails
3 June – Diamond saw fails to cut through pipe
4 June – Shears work and BP fits containment cap on pipe – more than 50% oil still gushing out
28 June – Tankers that BP promised would arrive (by around June 14th) to syphon more oil, still have yet to arrive

Basic chemistry and physics tells us that the pressure at the ocean floor is approximately 2,200 psi – about twice as much as a high-pressure hose at a local car wash. Given the known properties of oil, the pipe and the fact that the reservoir is approximately 3 miles beneath the ocean floor, the oil pressure is on the order of 12,000-15,000 psi. This is a massive pressure difference for BP to attempt these “Top Hat” ideas at these depths. The “Top Kill” tried to suffocate the leak with heavy mud and cement, but likely could not overcome the massive pressure. “Junk shot” attempted to force materials inside the pipe with massive pressure against it. The image below is a diagram of the “Top Kill” idea. Notice how it attempts to force mud and cement against the oil and its massive oil pressure.

Operation "Top Kill" diagram showing heavy mud and cement being pumped into the pipe

There are a multitude of factors involved in this giant engineering problem, but the one constant is that the pressure of the oil is several times stronger than the pressure of the water at the ocean floor. Instead of viewing this massive pressure differential as a problem, let’s view it as an opportunity. This opportunity leads us to the theory of a check valve. There are several scenarios in our everyday life that use a check valve for extreme situations. The diagrams below display a side-view of a two check valves that close when the pressure is greater from a particular side.

Side view of check valve

Side view of check valve with spring

Is there a way we can use this theory to engineer a potential concept?

These seal valves work in special ways to specifically use the massive force against

Side view of pressure seal valves (from Velan)

itself, as seen in the excerpt from a product catalog from Velan: “the higher the internal pressure, the greater the sealing force.”

Within the Oil and Gas industry, there are a multitude of these types of valves. They are specialized to deal with high pressures and varying viscosities. Velan (and others) have identified and been working for a long time for how to deal with these situations and innovate around them .

We recognize that it is unlikely there be a product already in existence that can fix this disaster, but surely there is a way to modify and innovate upon the theory of these valves to create something that will work for this situation. It should also be possible to use known concepts of dealing with over pressurization and other issues and apply engineering innovations to overcome them.

Our goal is to change the way BP and others have thought about concepts to this problem: use the force of the oil against itself. Tomorrow, we will use this theory and post our own concept.

All of this brings up one thought: the difference between being Capable and being Willing.

References include: CNN, New York Times, Active Rain, ABC news, NECN, Velan, Newsweek, SkyTruth

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When we enhance our sensitivity towards others’ suffering through deliberately opening ourselves up to it, it is believed that we can gradually extend our compassion to the point where the individual feels so moved by even the subtlest suffering of others that they come to have an overwhelming sense of responsibility towards those others.

Globalization and the environmental crisis are stripping bare the reality that our current lifestyles require that other people on this planet live in abject poverty, fear and ignorance. In addition, we are eating into the future prospects of our children and grandchildren.

Feeling empathy and compassion for the less fortunate, and connection to others (even those yet born) are qualities at odds with the individualistic, “winner take all” mentality that pervades large parts of out society. Yet without care for others on this planet our attempts to live sustainably are destined to remain superficial.

To build a sustainable life and society we need o nurture our connection with and compassion for others, allow our responsibility to awaken and distill this into a purpose of goal that we can then act upon…Putting it all together, your sustainable life

Building a sustainable life is not as simple as buying green power and reusing our bath water on the garden, although some people might debate this. Sustainable living emerges organically from our choosing to develop qualities that will change the direction of our lives.

By reducing our material consumption we create time in our lives. With this time we can deepen the quality of our experience for ourselves and others. From here, compassion emerges and we start to take responsibility for the challenges of the world.

Once we take on the responsibility, creativity, momentum and action comes easily as we craft our sustainable lives…

Remaining life expectancy

Age                                             Years                                                Hours

20                                                56.3                                                481,027

25                                                51.6                                                440,870

30                                                46.9                                                400,714

35                                                42.2                                                360,557

40                                                37.6                                                321,254

45                                                33.0                                                281,952

50                                                28.6                                                244,358

55                                                24.4                                                208,474

60                                                20.5                                                175,152

65                                                16.9                                                144,394

70                                                13.6                                                116,198

75                                                10.7                                                   91,421

What you can do:

• Be optimistic about the future
• Recognize that something else is going on
• Remind yourself there is a lot you can personally do
• Change your own behavior as first step
• Be informed about problems and solutions
• Do things in easy stages
• Identify things that get in the way of doing things differently
• Cue yourself and look after yourself
• Invite others to change
• Talk about the changes that you are making
• Share difficulties and rewards
• Be assertive and not aggressive
• Be grateful, feel abundant and congratulate others for being part of change
• Model the behaviors that you want others to do

Life can be short, use it well and live wisely.

Take a step towards sustainable society: Experiencing sustainable life – quality, efficiency and time