Measuring the Oil Released in the BP Oil Spill
PURDUE GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE

Steve Wereley
Mechanical Engineering
Friday, July 23, 2010
11:30 a.m.
Morgan Hall, Rm. 121

On May 13 Professor Wereley used optical feature tracking to estimate the volume flow of oil from the on-going BP Macondo oil field spill. The unforeseen effect of these first flow rate calculations was to bring the oil flow rate to the fore. Wereley was subsequently appointed to a government task force called the Flow Rate Technical Group to calculate an official government flow rate estimate. The group arrived at the estimate of 35,000 - 60,000 barrels of oil per day. This presentation/ discussion will center on those calculations, their limitations, their improvement and their future uses in this on-going disaster.

PURDUE OIL SPILL RESPONSE
CO-SPONSORED BY: CENTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY CENTER