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From: gardner@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Mike Gardner)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: oil well fires and shuttle tiles
Message-ID: <1991Mar17.211535.9716@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
Date: 17 Mar 91 21:15:35 GMT
References: <1991Mar14.151130.3822@welch.jhu.edu> <8300@rsiatl.Dixie.Com>
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Lines: 20

stan@Dixie.Com (Stan Brown) writes:

>jimh@welch.jhu.edu (Jim Hoffman) writes:

>>Just an idea. Scince fire needs oxygen to live, why not smother the flames
>>of the Middle East.  Build a dome structure that has shuttle tiles as the
>>interior wall.  For one, the flame will smother on its own smoke and combine
>>it with foam or water or what ever to cool it.  Two, the shuttle tiles 
Rather than try to smother, try to separate the "fire" from the "fuel".

Build a "Y" section of pipe to be lowered over the well head.  Each of the
top arms fo the Y would have nozzles and valves.  When it is lowered
over the head, only one would be open.  The unit would have to be large
enough and heavy enough to form a reasonable seal against the sand.  The
flame front should move up to the top of the open arm of the Y as the unit
hits the sand.   Once it's in place, the hot nozzle would be closed as the
cold one opened.   The distance between the nozzles would have to be sufficient
to keep one from igniting the other as it goes out.  As soon as things are
cool it could be removed and repairs begun.
mgg