Plane Dumps 170,000 Lbs Of Fuel Over New Jersey Due To Hydraulics Issue

Explanation: Meh! It equates to at the worst 31 parts per trillion!

Here is why...

Average cruise speed of 777 = 900km/hr [approx]

Average rate of full 360 degree turn = 4mins [1 full lap]

Approx distance covered during 1 full lap = 60km

Average altitude ceiling for cruise = 11km

Approx volume of affected area = 3150 cubic km [3150km^3]

1 cubic km = 1 000 000 000 000 [1 trillion liters]

25000 gallons dumped = 8 gallons/ 1 cubic km [8gl/1km^3]

1 US gallon = 3.78541178 liters

8 gallons = 30.28329424 liters [rounded up to 31 liters]

Therefor 31 liters of jet fuel [basically kerosene] per 1 trillion liters!

Note that this is assuming that the volume of air within the 9km radius X 11km tall cylinder marked out by the in flight turning circle of the 777 was isolated inside a bubble! The reality is far different and also far more open.

Personal Disclosure: Yes..Do The Math INDEED!

P.S. For comparison, drop 31 liters of kerosene on a 1km^2 [1 square km] bushfire and see how much MORE damage it does!

reply to post by OmegaLogos


Area residents reported a strong odor from it.

All the math in the world can't debunk that.

And just wondering, where did you get the flight pattern you based
your calculations on?

reply to post by 911stinks

Explanation: I made NO statements regarding the odour OK!

I had no information regarding flight plans and or patterns used by the plane in question and I made my calculations as follows...

1] I research boeing 777 stats on wiki. I got 900km/hr cruise speed and 11km cruise altitude.

2] I research rate of turn using google. I got 4mins for large planes to turn a full 360 degrees [or to do 1 lap]

3] I do some maths and come up with a minimum circumference for 1 lap.

4] I do some more maths and come up with an approximate cylindrical volume of directly affected area equal to 3150 cubic km [3150km^3]

5] I took the revised 25000 gallons dumped from your OP and divided it by 3150 to get gallons/ 1km^3 which = 8 gallons

6] I research google and find that 1 gallon = 3.78 liters [approx]

7] I do some maths and get 31 liters = 8 gallons [approx]

8] I research google and find that 1km^3 = 1 000 000 000 000 liters [1 trillion liters]

9] I then put liters dumped / 1km^3 and this results in 31 liters / 1 trillion liters and this is my answer on why at worst it equates to approximately 31 parts per trillion!

Personal Disclosure: Yes I made quite a few assumptions such as using maximum rate of turn of 4mins and an altitude of 11km ect to come up with this answer. It also assumes an equal distribution over the whole isolated volume that I assumed was affected! Obviously if you were directly behind and or beneath the plane, when it dumped the jet fuel, this would not be the real case!

reply to post by OmegaLogos


Well I guess the same can be said about the gulf Oil Spill using that reasoning. Airlines can get away with it because of the rules that the FAA have in place. Peoples lives come before any crap about polution.

I do agree that it is a bad thing but its better than a fully loaded jet touching down several thousand lbs overweight and killing all on board.

pffft idiots. Clearly the solution here was to create a 10 story dome and then place it over this aircraft. Then attach a long tube to siphon the fuel to awaiting ships. Have we not learned anything over the past few weeks.

brill

reply to post by 911stinks


Jet Fuel is essentially no different than Kerosene .. at the planes altitude in all likelihood that gas would evaporate before hitting the ground. Even if it were to land on the ground, it would have been spread over a very large area, it's effects would have been minimal, and would have evaporated there anyways..

Dumping the gas sure beat all those souls on-board crashing and burning.. no?

Originally posted by Rockpuck
reply to post by 911stinks

 

Jet Fuel is essentially no different than Kerosene .. at the planes altitude in all likelihood that gas would evaporate before hitting the ground. Even if it were to land on the ground, it would have been spread over a very large area, it's effects would have been minimal, and would have evaporated there anyways..

Dumping the gas sure beat all those souls on-board crashing and burning.. no?

Love your avatar...and yes dumping the fuel on an industrial wasteland IS much better than losing all those souls... if no one believes me about it being a dump google glassboro dump...it's a mountain of trash literally buried under dirt, and grass planted on top of it, when you drive down 55 it smells disgusting on a summer day, it's a man made mound and it's all trash.