Indonesian Mudflow, Satellite Photo shows vast area submerged

Indonesian University S satellite data ^ | 3/1/2007 | Robert A Cook

[Robert A Cook PE]

Satellite images from May 2006 until Feb 2007 showing the extent of the continuing mud flow in Indonesia.

http://www.crisp.nus.edu.sg/coverages/mudflow/index.html

Sobering problem: The overflow is very close to their largest city, and shows no sign of stopping.

Has already cut one large gas pipeline, hundreds of smaller water and electric lines, and is undermining the main expressway in and out of the city in that direction.

Obviously, the homes and businesses under the mud are destroyed: But those nearby are no safer.

[Robert A Cook PE]

It could have been stopped, but the governemnt culture and corruption down there allowed individuals to prevent US companies from working the problem. Instead, eyewitnesses report technical experts were overruled and stopped from working.

[2banana]

allah is pleased...

[Reaganesque]

Meanwhile, Krakatoa is rebuilding itself. Time to move, people.

[edcoil]

Allah needs to plant some trees. Maybe Gore can exchange his carbon credits with them.

[colonialhk]

If we allowed to fix it it cant be our fault.
What would ALGORE do?
Nothing too balanced is my guess.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Early December:

http://www.crisp.nus.edu.sg/coverages/mudflow/index_IK_p13.html

And it is still getting worse. Highway completely under at this point. Early dikes are overrun, and the very hot, sulfurous mud "lake" will make getting a new drilling rig in place near the blowout to cap that hole very, very difficult.

Early on, you could put a new well in nearby on dry ground. Now, there is no "nearby dry ground" - not for staging eqpt, laying out pipe, or even getting men and eqpt to the site to start the drilling.

Almost like a mid-ocean or mid-lake platform, but still not deep enough to float a tug out there.... Assuming the tug could keep running in the mud. (No cooling water for the engine and pumps, no "propeller" action in stiff mud to move the barge.)

[sgtbono2002]

I am sure they will need more aid money from stupid Christians.

[Deguello]

Are they still loading Grape Shot down the bore?

Any perspective of the mud flow from a Geologist point of view?

[Robert A Cook PE]

New photos of Indonesian mudflow at link above.

This is what it looked like before the mud (May 2005) and as the well just blew out.

http://www.crisp.nus.edu.sg/coverages/mudflow/index_SP_p1.html

[Eric in the Ozarks]

It would be hard to find a more corrupt place to do business than Indonesia.

[bwteim]

I am visualizing something that would make #000 buckshot look like talcum powder....



Efforts to plug Indonesian "mud volcano" resume

JAKARTA (AFP) - Engineers dropped chains of concrete balls into a "volcano" oozing hot mud in Indonesia's East Java province Monday as they resumed a bid to stem the flow which has submerged entire villages.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070226/sc_afp/indonesiaenvironmentmud_070226113926


"The team plans to drop 1,500 concrete balls into the mouth of the volcano.

Under the plan, 375 clusters will be lowered into a 50-metre wide hole from where the mud has been gushing, with each chained cluster consisting of four balls. Each cluster of 20-40 cm (8-16 in) diameter balls weighs about 400 kg (880 lb)."

http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=JAK65603

[ChiefJayStrongbow]

"The team plans to drop 1,500 concrete balls into the mouth of the vocano" .... "(8-16 in) diameter balls weighs about 400 kg (880 lb)."

Chuck Norris volunteered to plug that volcano w/ just one of his balls

[alice_in_bubbaland]

What do the Indonesian Engineers hope to accomplish by dropping the concrete balls into the volcano? My layman's observation is that they would displace the "mud" and it would have to come out somewhere else, therefore creating another mud flow and more problems, in another area.

In other words: "Ya can't mess with Mother Nature"

I notice that you are a PE and possibly could enlighten me on this subject. Thanks.

[bwteim]

I found your statement highly offensive....













NOT


It's refreshing to have some humor around the forum right about now. Thanks for the laugh.

[Robert A Cook PE]

In theory, IF (big "if"!) the mud were flowing out of a clean, simple single "hole" in the ground, then a heavy "ball" would plug the simple hole.

But, look at the actual problem.

The mud is under pressure: a LOT of pressure forcing it (and any potential plugs) back up out of the hole. The mud is very heavy, 2-3 times the weight of water. Far down, at the bottom of the hole where the rock is less broken and disturbed, over 2100 psi.

Near the top - the (original) pipe is busted, twisted, surrounded by months of eroded (removed and loose) rock with thousands of cracks and alternate routes to the surface. Plug 1500 cracks in a 10 acre area, and you have to plan on the underground mud filtering up around the block (even IF the block were a single "solid" like a steel plate or concrete pad) and coming up anyway. And, since they are planning using small, individual balls, unless the ball lands exactly on a crevice (not circular) underground, then the mud still flows.

Worse, if it were possible to be worse, the "balls" are not all that heavy: under the mud, they are held "up" by flotation: so each ball weighs much less under the mud than it does in air. Concrete is dense (normal concrete = 2.4 times the weight of water), steel even denser (7.8 x density of water), but this isn't water. Normal reinforced concrete can even "float" in very heavy commercial drilling "mud" mixtures. What's needed here (what the Texas oil companies have recommended from the beginning!) is even "heavier" mud than normal, and so plain concrete can't be counted as a "plug." Concrete plus the iron chains helps, but not a lot. It does waste a lot of time and money and submerges otherwise useful steel in mud.

Where the "mud" has begun to turn solid, the concrete will just stop at the "top" of the liquid mud, not below where the mud and (original) ground meets - which is where the hole(s) and crevices are.

So plugging alternate leak sites with weighted concrete balls isn't (in my opinion, and those of petro engineers trying to stop other oil well blowouts) really possible in mud. In a simple smooth "bathtub" type of lake, with a simple leak source, it might work - if you can get the balls exactly placed.

[thackney]

Thank you for the ping, continued updates and information.

[norton]

"What's needed here (what the Texas oil companies have recommended from the beginning!) is even "heavier" mud than normal..."

Can you clarify?
This is a subject few of us are familiar with..Thanks.

[alice_in_bubbaland]

Thank you for the information! The mud volcano problem intrigues me.

Is there any way to somehow divert the mudflow to a less populated area by way of canals or large concrete pipes?

Would it help to reinforce heavier concrete balls with a steel re-bar type material?

All in all it seems that any attempts will be futile.

[Deguello]

Solution?

Drill a diagonal hole to the existing bore and after the long string is cemented in, perform a squeeze job or plug.

[Old Professer]

Global Warming now seems to have reached to the very bowels of the Earth.