Water Pressure @ Depth Calculator

[TomCADem]

Here is an interesting online calculator for water pressure at depth.

http://www.calctool.org/CALC/other/games/depth_press

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is taking place at about 5,000 feet down at which water pressure is about 2,236 psi or about a ton per square inch. For comparison sake, the water pressure near the surface is only about 15 psi. The record for a submarine, not a submersible, is less than 5,000 feet.

[Captain Boomerang]

1. They do have a submersible that will dive to the bottom

of the ocean.

However, it was only attempted once (1963ish-National Geographic covered it.) And the underwater vehicle could only accommodate two people since its hull was a foot thick steel and diesel was used as some sort of weight device.

Russian nuclear subs were created to operate at a depth of 4000/5000 feet.

My concern is;
1. If the pressure is so intense that it compresses other things, does it compress something organic like oil?
2. If oil is lighter than water, how fast does the oil travel out of the hole?
3. If the hole contains pockets of air or gas (Methane) what happens when salt water rushes in to these cavities?
4. Could giant sinkholes be created from movement of fluids?
5. Has any of the oil companies ever wondered about what happens if these underground holes were to collapse on a grand scale?

Nice link. (Thanks.)

[Fumesucker]

2. Liquids are not compressible under normal Earthly conditions..

Even at the bottom of the ocean.

The oil is being pushed out of the hole at a much higher pressure than the water pressure, I recall hearing 11,000 psi.

The gas also is at a much higher pressure than the water, the water will not rush in until the gas and oil reach the same pressure as the water which might take a decade.

I don't think sinkholes are a problem but I'm not a geologist.

[krispos42]

3. The oil will be under pressure; however like water it is not really compressable

In other words, it's under pressure but not being distored physically.

The air in the pipe is also under that pressure, or more. The pressure at the bottom of the ocean is comparable to the air compressed in a scuba tank.


The flow rate of the oil is what determines the speed. If the pipe is 21", then it has an area of 173in².


Okay, if the oil leak is 5,000 barrels per day, that translates to 210,000 gallons per day, or 2.43 gallons per second.

2.43 gallons per second is 561 cubic inches per second. Therefore, the oil in the pipe must flow out at 3.25 inches per second.

That's 975 feet per hour.

If it's 50,000 barrels per day, simply multiply by a factor of 10.


Dunno about the sinkholes, though.