VIDEO: As Much as 70,000 Barrels of Oil Leaking in Gulf

Purdue professor weighs in on new BP video

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) – New video released by BP shows efforts to stop some of the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, but the amount of oil pouring into the water could still be substantial. 

A small tube has been put inside the gushing pipe sending 84,000 gallons of oil a day to a recovery ship, but that’s only a small fraction of what is leaking.

A Purdue University mechanical engineering professor said the new video also shows a kink the pipe with two additional leaks.

BP is hoping the pipe will draw about half the leaking oil. The company estimated 5,000 barrels per day were gushing into the Gulf of Mexico when the oil well first broke.

Purdue Mechanical Engineering Professor Steven Wereley, along with several other scientists across the country, said it was a lot more oil than BP’s estimate.

“70,000 barrels a day. A barrel is 42 gallons so that is roughly 3 million gallons a day,” Wereley said.

Video released by BP now shows a pipe collecting some of the leaking oil. Wereley, who is considered an expert in flow measurement, said the video confirms more oil is gushing into the gulf than into the pipe.

Watch video here
 

“The leak appears to be substantial and the same as it used to be,” he explained. “BP is pulling approximately 2,000 barrels a day through this small pipe. I believe that to be a small fraction of the total. The total I calculated for flow out of the end of the riser tube was 70,000 barrels a day. So they are collecting a very small fraction of that and that is what the video confirms.”

Because the new video confirms Wereley’s and other scientist’s numbers, he is standing by his word.

“I’m not going to revise my numbers, my estimate of the leak, until I get a better video. I think that is the thing that will really allow me to really refine my estimate.”

Werely said BP has not made any contact with him about his estimates. 


Articles by: Tiffanie Dismore

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