re: Oil Spill and Offshore Fishing (Latest Developments)

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Not sure what you mean by back pressure (wellhead pressure??) but reservoir pressure at that depth was likely somewhere around 15000psi

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back pressure= pressure on the other side of the flow point. Right now it would be over pressure from the water column. So the string would go like this: 15kpsi formation pressure -25,000 feet of elevation losses, -piping losses in 25,000 feet of pipe, -losses from kinks and other restrictions, -2,200 psi to overcome to flow into the water. (based on a TVD of 25,000 ft. from memory)

Since we know the 2,200 psi pressure at the end of the open pipe, one could calculate the sonic flow rate given some upstream flowing pressure.