Deepwater Horizon: How to Prevent Catastrophic Oil Rig Fires

May 28, 2010 - PRLog -- On April 20, 2010 oil and gas blew upward and created an explosion that set the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig ablaze off the Gulf of Mexico. Pressurized methane gas escaping from the drilling site is believed to have triggered the explosion. The Deepwater Horizon was soon to become engulfed in flames. Eleven crewmen lost their lives in the tragic event. The Deepwater Horizon capsized and sank 36 hours after catching on fire.

In a report of May 6, 2010, Bryce Hall report in Slate: "In the first hours after the explosion, most of the spilled oil was burning off in the fire, and the initial damage estimates were small. But when the Deepwater Horizon turned over on its 400-foot pontoons, the mile-long pipe that connected it to the underwater wellhead collapsed like a mess of spaghetti. Now the oil is leaking from this jumbled steel on the ocean floor at two sites where the pipe buckled and broke. If the first rescue crews on the scene had somehow been able to prevent the rig from sinking, they might have disconnected the pipe safely and capped it near the surface."

Fireboat crews had to apply hundreds of thousands of gallons of flame-retardant and water. Analysts do not yet know if the weight of these extra materials caused the Deepwater Horizon to capsize, or if it over turned because of melting steel. The steel appeared to hold up, but it is impossible to be sure because the scene was obscured by smoke.

Whatever happened, a key is better fireproofing so that there is more time to deal with disasters before they spin out of control.

One of the worst problems ships and submarines face is fire. Fires are accompanied by toxic smoke and fumes, which are released from burning composite materials and flammable products aboard. The composite materials burn because they are made of organic substances.

The U.S. Navy conducted a study and concluded that organic composites do not meet the stringent fire requirements specified for interior spaces in ships and other vessels. Nonetheless, its vessels must perform even when they are badly damaged.  

All the way back in 1996, the Fire Research Section of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) tested a fireproof composite material for aircraft. The FAA's flammability requirement for testing new materials is that the material must withstand a fully-developed aviation-fuel fire that has penetrated the cabin, but without the cabin itself being on fire. When tested, the only material ever to withstand this arduous test was a geopolymer composite. The reason is that the geopolymeric composite is made with polymerized minerals instead of organic polymers.

Because geopolymers are made purely of minerals, the geopolymeric composites tolerate high heat and do not burn. The carbon fiber-reinforced geopolymeric composite tested by the FAA does not ignite, burn, or release any smoke — even after extended heat-flux exposure. No toxic fumes were released because there are no toxins in the composite itself, and none form when the composite is exposed to any amount of heat. The geopolymeric composite will tolerate more heat than steel. The geopolymeric composite will not start to degrade until a fire reaches 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, but it will still not catch on fire or smoke.

After all these years since the FAA testing, no company has invested in manufacturing so as to give vessels the extra fire protection needed in an emergency.

The geopolymeric composite called GEOPOLY-THERM offers a safe, proven fire resistant composite system that can protect the internal spaces of ships, submarines and aircraft. This has come to the attention of the U.S. Navy, which is testing the geopolymeric composite called GEOPOLY-THERM.

The geopolymer technology has an unusual and amazing twist. It turns out to be an ancient technology responsible for major rock superstructures. When an easy-to-make geopolymeric binder is combined with rock aggregates, solid rock forms. This has major implications for improving modern infrastructure to make it protective against many hazardous situations. A report in Wired News Danger Room puts it this way:

“The story of geopolymers is worthy of a Dan Brown novel, with an unlikely cast including a maverick French scientist, a secretive caste of ancient stone masons and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. Along the way, the mystery of the pyramids gets solved,”
--David Hambling, October 22, 2009  |  10:00 am  |  Categories: Bizarro

A new book covers the intriguing past of this rock-making technology “worthy of a Dan Brown novel,” and describes its stunning present and future applications.

The Great Pyramid Secret: Egypt's Amazing Lost Mystery Science Returns'
With unique research contributions from MIT, Drexel University, the NASA-funded Space Technology Center of the University of Kansas, and others.

Visit: www.margaretmorrisbooks.com

'The Great Pyramid Secret: Egypt's Amazing Lost Mystery Science Returns' is also available from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

U.S. Callers: 1-800-843-2665

Outside the U.S.: 201-559-3882

Or, you may special order from any bookstore or ask your library for the book.

Book Reviews:
"A must-have book destined for classical immortality."
— THE MINDQUEST REVIEW OF BOOKS, summer 2010

"The Great Pyramid Secret is a choice read for those curious about the origins of the pyramids."
— MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW, APRIL 2010 (Small Press Bookwatch, Volume 9, Number 4), posted as a 5-STAR REVIEW AT AMAZON.COM.  
   
"Amazing....sure to become the common knowledge within a generation."
— ALLBOOKS REVIEWS, March 2010    
   
"Methodical and organized, Morris presents her ideas to the academic community as well as to casual readers interested in pursuing Egyptian archaeological science for entertainment alone. She does not gloss over any aspect of her hypothesis that might be difficult to back with facts; instead, she supports her statements with even greater evidence. She does not come across as a scientist looking for shock value recognition. She believes the pyramids were built using a simple, but sophisticated, Late Stone Age technology."
FOREWARD CLARION REVIEW, March 2010

The author uses her book as a fund raising tool for environmental and other worthwhile causes, and to raise public awareness about the fireproofing and environmental issues that can be solved with the use of this technology. Anyone who needs a high profit fund raising product may contact rm@margaretmorrisbooks.com.

The properties of GEOPOLY-THERM are impressive:

Excellent burn-through fire resistance
No ignitability
No flammability
No combustion gases
No toxicity
No smoke emanation
No heat release
No combustion gas generation

Geopolymers are strong and can be used to produce fireproof equipment boxes, cupboards, furniture and flooring. GEOPOLY-THERM composites also provide for fireproof decorative panels for homes and buildings. The U.S. could save over $300 billion per year in fire damage with the extensive use of geopolymeric composite.

In the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe, three-inch-thick steel fire doors failed. They were fastened with six stainless steel hinges that supported them on a frame. An explosion blew the doors off their hinges. At that point, there was nothing to prevent fire from going out of control. Extensive fireproofing with a fireproof composite could have provided for more escape time. Methane gas is flammable, and two explosions were reported. The explosions caused some support structures to give away while crewmen were still aboard.  

According to Hall, "The oil rig appeared to be floating in the water with a slight list when the initial rescue crews showed up. According to one of the people coordinating the response, Capt. Farhat Imam, the rig did not seem in imminent danger of sinking." It is possible that more fire protection could have made a huge difference in this disaster.