Addressing Subsea Blowout Effects Using NASA Methodology

摘要

The highly under-expanded jet of a rocket plume creates a strong shock wave, which interacts withthe boundaries of surrounding surfaces. These complicated patterns of crossflow separation cause thrustvectoring, which affects the vehicle's balance and can dramatically alter the pitch of the rocket. In a similarway, a subsea plume emanating from a blowing well, will have a similar effect on the attitude of a cappingstack under similar release conditions. Using software combinations commonplace in the aerospace industry, but hitherto used separately fordiscrete applications in the oil industry, has provided new information and insight. Ongoing research intothe effects produced by a subsea blowout have revealed interesting results that raise doubt as to the veracityof otherwise industry-accepted Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling. Linking expertise gleaned from NASA in rocket propulsion multi-phase flow dynamics with subjectmatter proficiency in subsea capping technology and encompassing both specific and general aspects ofplume flow, the investigation offers insight into the physics that governs buoyant multiphase fluids releasedinto a subsea environment during a subsea blowout.