We’ve had a number of responses to our request for suggestions to deal with the Gulf oil spill. Some were added in comments, and others were submitted via the Contact Form. Here are some of the submissions we received from people using the Contact Form:
A reader named Julie writes:
As I understand the problem with the original containment structure, the problem is that the volume of contained methane and methanehydrates caused the structure to become buoyant. An alternative would be to construct layered rings of concrete with the “dome” cast into the interior of each ring having a smaller volume, but with the total weight being sufficient to overcome both the pressure of the well and the buoyancy of the methane gas. This is a fairly simple set of calculations — salt water is about 65 lbs per cubic foot, and the pressure in the pipe should be known.
The concrete rings would be cast in such a way that they nested, one on top of the other.
The bottom most ring would spread its weight sufficiently around the sea floor so that it would not be at risk of crushing the pipe as additional rings are added.
The top most concrete piece would then have a large diameter pipe cast into the piece, with a gate valve and flange. It would also have fittings into which methanol or hot water could be injected in order to melt any methane hydrates. The weight of this piece would be sufficient that it would nest inside the 2nd from the top ring and hold itself in place.
Colin writes:
I have a suggestion for containing the plume of oil from the sea floor:
The problem is dealing with the pressure at 500 feet, methane icing coagulation etc. Build a “sock” of thick impermeable nylon. Approximately 300 feet in diameter, and 5000 plus feet long (floor to surface. at the base Chains/weights and floats at top. Purpose allows the leak to come to the surface in a contained cylinder- when reaching the surface temperature and pressure are no longer a factor in recovery- and skimmer boats can easily handle the rate. Yes the hole will still have to be intercepted but this solution will insure that no more oil is released until a permanet soltion is accomplished.
My name is Colin **** – and am a Katrina poor, carpenter living in Mississippi. Please forward this idea to the proper authorities, if used successfully I only require modest compensation and recognition-say 2% of the value of the recovered oil?? seriously 
Kathleen writes:
“We are all concerned about the oil leak, this is for sure. What I am wondering about is, why you don’t try to freeze the oil down there with liquid nitrogen?
Thank you for your answer.”
Dennis writes:
“Hook onto the pipe and tow a bend in it! When the pipe bends it will at least slow down. The video I saw on television is of a nearly wide open pipe. Did you ever try to use a kinked garden hose? Hurry up and kink the darn thing! Where are the engineers????
And I did this for free!!!!”
Phyllis has this suggestion:
Has anyone tried plugging this with fat. Fat has plugged my drain at home many times.
Robert writes:
JUST AN IDEA IF BP PUT A SMALL CHARGE AND BLOW THE PIPE OFF THAT WELL HEAD, THEN PUT THE DOME OVER THE HEAD, PLUSS TI JUST MIGHT LOOSING THE SHUT OFF !!!! CAN YOU GET ME AN (EMAIL FOR BP)????
Theodore says:
I AM THE INVENTOR OF TOSCON & POSCON SPILL EQPT,CAN SAVE YOU 100′S OF MILLIONS IN YOUR CLEAN UP HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO CONTACT ANY ONE OF AUTHORITY .HIGH RATE SKIMMERS,SEPERATORS,PUMPS AND CAN REMOVE OIL FROM WATER COLUMN.5OOO GPD OIL RECOVERY/NO FREE WATER VIDEO, REF. INFO,NEED CONTACT PERSON HOUSTON HUNTSVILLE AREA.
Murray writes:
You should suck the oil out with vacuum trucks on the ship to suck the oil up.if you put the pipe close to the ruptured pipe you should not get the crystals building up.anchor the vacuum pipe with a cement or steel weight to hold the vacuum pipe in place moving it in as your vacuum is on.hook the trucks to one header and you are ready to go…..so get on it it will work!!!!!this will work and pass this simple solution to the people that need to see this.
Rodney writes:
Why can’t the US Gov. have a sub lounch a buncor buster missel in to the mud at the base of the well head and collapse the pipe under the head?
Stan writes:
Use a spar charge/ the spar to force a small charge into the pipe. the charge should be wrapped in soft metal wire or sleeves. the charge should be only strong enough to expand the casing inside the pipe too create a plug. then quickly follow up with a mix of crushed limestone and volcanic ash. this should harden making a solid plug.
David writes:
Can we build a well around it and suckit up with a vacum or use a big needle and inject it with something like a spounge or swelling stuff or super glue or a big baloon or can we jam it with something and weld it or seal it or can we splice in to it with a pipe and seal it what about a can of great stuff or smething that swells fast setting stuff.
{ 76 comments }
Dear Sirs, may I suggest you a possible solution to stop the oil spill as
an alternative to the useless method of sucking the oil plume, my suggestion is: to inject inside the broken pipe, by mean of a proper umbilical pipe leaded by the ROV (Remote Operating Vehicle) a special mix of expansive hygroscopic resins, chemically compatible either with sea water and oil, with very short hardening time, such to create a plug sufficient to resist to the pressure (oil/gas) in a manner to interrupt the flow. I’ve much more details to provide you and then, if you are interested to this method, pls contact me…
Anyway, crossing fingers, I wish you all the best to succed to find out a prompt solution.
With my best regards, Pietro Lodovigi
I suggest to insert inside pipe a electroweldable grid and then a sort of needle which has a series of inflatable rings with a hole to pass through oil smaller and smaller. Inflate them to reduce flow and gain more and more grip inside the pipe and then inject a fast drying resin between the rings through the needle. I have a sketch.
Good luck
Mauro Pennacchietti
A giant “Kreepy crawley/Piranha” ( pool cleaner)to clean the stuff up on the bottom and a huge vaccum to filter the oil from the sea water. I’m not going to work out the logistics for you, but it is feasible, just on a bigger scale.
WHY CAN’T YOU JUST DRILL A RELIEF WELL,TO TAKE THE PRESSURE OFF THE FAILED B.O.P. ?TO DO WHATEVER IS NECESSARY TO SHUT THE SHEER RAMS.INCLUDE THE MILITARY ,TOP SCIENTISTS ,OCEANOLOGISTS, AND GEOLOGISTS ,JUST STOP THE SPILL FOR ALL LIVING CREATURES LAND AND SEA.
I HAVE LIVED AND WORKED IN THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY FOR MY WHOLE LIFE,BORN AND RAISED INTO IT,I AM 45 YEARS OLD,JUST STOP THE LEAK.
THANK YOU.L.M BOOMER
The effects of pressure and temps at 5000 feet may rule this out, but here’s my thoughts. The attempt to use the 100 ton concrete box failed because of ice forming in the reducer area at the top. Why not remove the top and attach 5000 ft of impermiable, flexible synthetic tubing to the outside of the box, attached to a flotation ring. When released, the flotation ring would unroll the tubing and carry it to the surface. The tubing would need lite weight ribbing to maintain its internal shape. You just need to contain the crude within the tubing until you get it within 100′ of the surface, where temps and depths allow manual or more precise robotic manipulation. (I’m assuming icing would not clog a tube that wide.) Using barges, lower a reducer inside the tubing and clamp the tubing around the exterior of the reducer pipe. Pumps and valves on the barges will then pump the collected crude/saltwater to one of two tankers via flexible floating pipelines. Install an impermiable barrier around the reducer pipe, anchored into position to form a 1000 ft diameter bowl. Any crude not pumped out of the tubing or spilled during pumping operations could be skimmed off the surface by vessels around the perimeter. This would require the use of two barges, at least 4 tanker ships and 6 to 8 individual pumping vessels. This could possibly provide a means of capturing the oil until their permanent solution of drilling a new well is completed. Lot of money I know, but hey, it’s our beaches, national seashores, reefs, animal and bird sanctuaries and countless animals, birds and sealife they’re destroying, which to me is priceless.
I believe they can build a giant pipe crushing devise. It would cut off
about 95% of the oil flow. The crusher could be tested on ground
with the exact same pipe, perfecting the crush method and length. The
devise would be simple to build with hydraulic presses.
Marc Bauer
Sr Principle System Engineer
Raytheon Vision Systems
Goleta, CA
I still believe and have made comment’s in the past, that a bunker bomb could be dropped off beside of the shaft and blow it up, causing the shaft to be crimpped and everything around it will collapse into the hole. Of course I,m not a engineer just a person with common sense. Thank you for your time ,. Richard Green
My step-father worked on a steam barge in Louisiana which warmed the heavy crude in barges to make it fluid enough for easy pumping. Go back to the top hat repair idea, put a steam barge out there and inject steam into the top hat to prevent the ice crystals from blocking the tube.
I propose a simple solution to the oil leak in the Gulf. Sending this out since May 14, with no official response. Here it is:
Sew together a 5000-foot-long nylon tube with a diameter of 20 feet, and a flared end with a diameter of 50 feet that is attached to a heavy round ring. Sink the tube so that it fills with water as it descends, then attach the flared end to the ocean floor over and around the leak. At the surface, oil is pumped directly onto tankers from the top of the tube. Pump oil out of the tube at the same rate it reaches the surface to avoid displacement issues.
The mile long nylon tube will bow in the current and tides, but is secured to encircling cables that are anchored and attached to large floating buoys. As it is lowered to the ocean floor, the open tube is looped onto this ring of cables. Additionally, at the surface, the tube is cabled to stationary ships.
Sailboat sail grade nylon is suggested. The diameters are approximate. For attribution purposes, it is called, “the Elliot Tube,” and I am the inventor. It captures the leaking oil, is easy to construct on shore, and relatively cheap.
I hesitate to proclaim this method foolproof – they don’t make fools like they used to – but I am certain it will work.
Warm Regards,
Elliot Crown
NYC
917.678.2365
whale watch naturalist, artist and actor
elliotcrown@earthlink.net
Hi All:
I could only imagine how hard it was trying to place that cap at that depth. What I can imagine is cutting a hole in the bottom of a large barge. Weld a heavy cap to it inside center, similar to the one you tried (not as tall/heavy). Weld reinforcement plates within the barge. Fill the remaining space within the barge with material such as concrete, then weld plates to over top of the material to hold it within the barge. Weld rings on the outside and all four sides of the barge (for towing dragging and to upright the barge; if needed, once sunken) . Tow the barge within the vicinity of the spill, then sink it. Drag the sunken barge like a sled over the leak, center and cap. Drag it from shore, if it will not float.
Best Regards,
Joe Carr
Mechanical Engineer
There is a way to stop the oil use cargo ships with containers with vaccum suck the oil threw a filter departing the water from oil until they get the rig there just like doing a man made island. thank u 4 your time and attention
This might sound silly but why can’t they just kink the damn pipe? Hydraulic mandibles and just kink it like a garden hose? Why not?
make like a double sided lint catcher like what goes into a dryer what will go into the middle is a wift made of cotton because it absorb liquids the wift could be pulled up from the top with a crane to be replaced and for you want open it, you could make it like a dam just incase you have to open it up, and i think you should put it, where all this began and where it is ending at the moment to trap it in.hopefully this could be of some help for us.
check out the drain king drain opener. http://www.nothingbuthardware.com/403903.html. the rubber body swells to fit the pipe diameter preventing backflow as water pulses thru to create pressure on a clog.fabricate a much larger version and send the mud and concrete down. the initial smaller diameter (than the spill pipe) should allow easy entry, and the weight and pressure ,with no back flow, could counteract the reservoir pressure while the plug hardens into a permanent seal. thank you for your attention. good luck. vincent mitchell
I don’t know what the pressure is coming out of the pipe but I think they could put a flexible tube over the pipe and then tighten it on the pipe. As long as the tube is long enough and open at the end it should work. Once attatched to the pipe they could start pumping it into barges. If the pressure is not great they should be able to cap it using the same method. (OVER THE PIPE NOT IN THE PIPE)
If they cover the pipe they might end up making the problem unrepairable.
Time to drop a large LARGE….. VERY LARGE ….. Military type explosive…. BELOW the 5000 foot level perhaps 10,000 feet, could be 15,000 feet. Let MOTHER NATURE seal the flow from below…… Mother nature is going to be the answer in this spill….. not humans….The entire world is watching. And soon all Atlantic coasts will see… this is way to large of a spill…. Ir is not a spill.. it is a threat to all Atlantic shores. I hate to say this as it is time for “Full force military action on this SPILL”. Get tough OBAMA……. BUSH would have been on the scene first day…..
I sent in this suggestion through the site with no response as yet. They already have 1 pipe/hose inserted pumping out some of the oil..I suggest inserting as large a pipe/hose as managable (weighted), with series of inflatable stoppers (think large tire tubes as comparison) along its exterior (at least 3). After the pipe is inserted and secured, slowly inflate the stoppers with antifreeze or hydraulic fluid which will gradually restrict external leakage and force more flow into the hose. Weighted down properly would ensure it didnt blow out again. As a really crude example of how this may work..take a simple plastic pen, remove the ink tube and the plastic end cap, force it through a ladies tampond and insert this into a dribbling garden hose…as the tampond expands it will block off the external leak and force flow through the pen…now sorry about the comparison, but the theory is plausable, simple, cost effective, and with minimal additional risk.
Problem Solved. Look at live feed of Blow Out Preventor top. Notice the flow is from small leaking slits less than an inch wide.
The mud pumped into the sides either goes up or down. The problem is it is not being pumped down well because of the leaking small slits.
Plug the slits with cut up hunks of tires or chunks of wood pumped in the mud through the sides. They go up or down. If down that is no pr9blem. If they go up they accumulate and pack off the upper leaks.
Once the upper leaks are plugged, where will the mud and chips go?
Problem solved… well plugged with mud.
Cement next!
I have not been able to contact BP to suggest this. If anyone here wants the problem quickly solved, send them a copy.
———————————————————————————-
” Problem Solved. Look at live feed of Blow Out Preventor top. Notice the flow is from small leaking slits less than an inch wide.
The mud pumped into the sides either goes up or down. The problem is it is not being pumped down well because of the leaking small slits.
Plug the slits with cut up hunks of tires or chunks of wood pumped in the mud through the sides. They go up or down. If down that is no pr9blem. If they go up they accumulate and pack off the upper leaks.
Once the upper leaks are plugged, where will the mud and chips go?
Problem solved… well plugged with mud.
Cement next!”
When doing the junk shot mix in insulation as well! Also when doing the top kill mix insulation with the concrete!
Why can’t fresh water generators be converted to suck up oil?
It Worked
My suggestion of using cut up rubber to plug the top leaking part of the BOP was tried around midnight and it sealed the BOP as i suggested.
Now they will pump heavier mud and then the cement.
The next thing to solve is how to mop up the oil on the surface using supertankers or other container ships, and clean up the landfall mess.
————————————————————–
“” Problem Solved. Look at live feed of Blow Out Preventor top. Notice the flow is from small leaking slits less than an inch wide.
The mud pumped into the sides either goes up or down. The problem is it is not being pumped down well because of the leaking small slits.
Plug the slits with cut up hunks of tires or chunks of wood pumped in the mud through the sides. They go up or down. If down that is no pr9blem. If they go up they accumulate and pack off the upper leaks.
Once the upper leaks are plugged, where will the mud and chips go?
Problem solved… well plugged with mud.”
BP is already pumping mud to the leaking pipe. I would add lead balls to the mix and attempt to choke the pressure that propels the hydrocarbon to the surface. The lead balls will settle at the bottom of the well and if enough lead balls are injected to form a column 100 feet high, the pressure at the well may drop low enough to seal the well with cement. Ideally lead balls being heavy is the choice. Get those Bearing manufacturers to make lead balls by the truckloads. Alternatively one inch size round rocks can be used but with more volume.
Here is a solution to the BP golf oil blow out:
Construct a steel cap consisting of 5 inch solid steel 50 x 50 feet with 2 ft. perpenticular edging around the steel cap. lower this solid steel platform over well rupture and cover immediatly with 1000 tons of concrete dome over the whole area of about 500 feet wide.
BP had reported success using the injection or rubber and other things to seal the top of the BOP at the time of my last post and I thought it worked.
It did not work as at this great depth, turbulence and high pressure does not seem to allow this method.
Let us look at the facts. There are no leaks except at the top of the BOP. BP’s next idea is to lower a cone over the BOP and produce the well from pipe running down to the top of the cone. This might work if the hydrates can be avoided.
A more permanent and foolproof method would be to take advantage of the base of the BOP not leaking and lower a 6 foot wide drum over it with upper and lower fittings for the robots to attached the pipes used to pump with. Then cement the bottom of the huge drum up half way up the BOP pumping the cement between the bottom drum and the BOP. With the bottom sealed and firmly attaching the drum and the bottom BOP, lower another slightly smaller drum attached to 20″ pipe all the way to telescope inside the first drum, and use the upper connection to cement the rest of the way to near the top of the BOP.
There will then be oil coming up the 20″ pipe to a supertanker on the surface, and no great pressure on the concrete or the drums at the bottom as long as the top of the 20″ pipe at the surface is kept flowing into the supertanker.
The only problem is hurricanes that might affect the supertankers at the surface. Closing the 20″ pipe at the top might allow high pressure inside it to rupture something below, so it has to keep flowing oil and gas.
Then the World’s greatest gusher can just keep selling oil until it dies.
Latest News Headline is: “BP Set to Announce Failure of ‘Top Kill’ Procedure”
BP is said to have a valve to lower over the BOP on the seafloor ready to lower over it when the robot already in place cuts off the riser pipe to let the valve fit over it. This is essentially similar to the above method.
The question that should and must be asked during the announcement by BP spokesperson news at about 6+ Central Time USA should be:
Is the valve to make a tight fit with the lower BOP and if so, will that fit withstand the pressure of pumping another top kill from the surface of the sea.”
If BP says no, then the next question is: “could it be cemented from the sea surface to make it that strong?”
If BP says no, then the next question is: “Is this true because you want to continue to produce the well once under control… instead of plugging it… and why would you design a capping valve that would not allow plugging pressures?”
How about a cone shaped rubber plug inserted into the open pipe and then clamped onto or around the pipe to hold in place?
One inch diameter and then gradually smaller diameter lead ball bearings need to be slowly poured down this broken unstable pipe which will plug it from the bottom, up, They can be poured in easily through a hose or pipe, and will self organize as they land, to start forming the seal that will end this disaster . Once the finest of the shot are finally poured the leak will be over and BP can get to cleaning up the mess. Also adding a final cement sealer on top of the lead. If steel ball bearings are used they could rust, expand, and eventually split the pipe, which might not matter though, if the well point it is far below the ocean floor. BP needs to forget about saving this well, and just drill a new one someday near this one if the govt will allow it. Please pass this on to someone who can help get this idea to fruition. If they mess with this and the pipe breaks off more below the ocean floor, they may never stop it, so while they have access to the pipe they need to take this positive action.
Mark Mossell of Portage In.
Kathleen, I just woke from a dream and thought of expandable foam insulation also, looked online and found this site. Then looked up the foam:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyurethane
Use the foam, but but add crushed (has jagged edges) gravel so as to grind and grip interior of oil pipe to facilitate non-extrusion of foam and thus insure trapping of foam as it expands. (Stop with the “round balls” and such. Such is simply not going to grip.) The foam is a mixture of substances that only expand on contact with each other (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyurethane), so pump down components in separate hoses/tubes that are attached at end that enters oil pipe (at same place “top kill” mud was injected). The gravel aspect can be added to thinner of two compounds, perhaps? Each component will then mix when entering pipe and expanding feature is activated.
Like on the first attempt to stop the leak, laminate several inner tubes to the pipe being inserted into larger damaged pipe. At the other end put a shutoff valve. With the valve in the OPEN position insert the smaller pipe with laminated inner tubes into the larger damaged pipe. Inflate the inner tubes to have a good seal. Close the shut off valve . If it would work it would eliminate secondary oil spills during pumping operations to the water surface. The pipe would be capped till the relief well could be drilled. I am sure the tire companies that manufacture truck air bags for air ride suspensions would be able to offer a thicker alternative to an inner tube and offer solutions on how to laminate the air bag or tube onto the smaller pipe.
Why not teather an ROV at 4 points over the pipe and have it insert a rubber expansion plug (think temporary freeze plug for an engine block) 25 feet into the pipe, tighten it and then fill the pipe with heavy mud to keep it in place until you can dig around the outside of the pipe to find an even cut point. Cut it off and weld a cap on it. I know there are a lot of factors that come into play at 5K feet, but it is utterly rediculous, that all of these overpaid engineers can’t come up with a simple inexpensive way to stop the leak. I also watched the vid of the hay soaking up the top oil. It could be very effective if used in a burlap bag to keep it all contained.
Now that BP has announced their plan and even put out pictures to illustrate it, I am very disappointed. They only want to trim the bent pipe and put a very shallow little cap over it to capture more of the oil already coming out of the riser pipe than from where the broken end siphon is fitted into the bent distal part is. They hope without the bend, there will be more oil to capture. Pictures only show a small riser pipe which is a severe flaw.
The plan is flawed as it does not capture all the leak as there is too much back pressure from the small pipe riser. Also the whole BOP is not covered as in my plan. 20″ casing to the top is required to handle the volume of oil to the surface. The price of 5000 feet of 20″ casing is negligible as a fix and hot water could be pumped as it is lowered near the flow to stop ice crystal formation inside.
My plan of completely covering the 4 story BOP with an open cylinder whose top is attached to the 20 inch diameter pipe would be better.
Hydrate crystals would not plug a 20 inch open pipe to the surface and as the huge cylinder was lowered to the ocean floor at its open end, as the surface would pump very hot sea water down the 20 inch pipe to prevent the crystal formation as it is lowered over the flow. Once the bottom of the cylinder hit the ocean floor that would further keep oil from filling the huge tank and going down.
The size of the pipe (20″) diameter would allow very very huge volume per minute of flow to the surface. Side connections could also allow filling the tank with cement to where the 20″ fits the top to prevent any leakage around the ocean floor at the bottom.
If the walls of the cemented tank were thick, it might even hold the pressure needed for plugging the well if the lower casing could hold the pressure.
As to the idea of “lead balls”, I suspicion there is some merit to that after the huge bottom open end tank with 20″ pipe at its top has been lowered and cemented in place.
Suppose the flow is calculated as slow enough allow lead shot to fall to bottom. Then lead shot could very slowly (to prevent upper plugging) be introduced down the surface pipe with miles of it filling the lower pipe to whatever height will stop the flow and kill the lower pressure. A good physicist could calculate shot size and the rate of fall of the lead shot against the flow.
This would be a bit expensive to have miles of lead shot, but worth it to plug the well (World’s most expensive plugging material… unless maybe tungsten… or even gold was used LOL).
If this idea is used by BP, I want $100,000,000 in compensation.
There is a device to unclog drains called a Drain King.
I believe you could make an industrial STRENGTH Drain King to withstand the pressure and pretty much stop the leak except for maybe a slight leakage.
Here is how it would work:
Attach the Industrial Strength Drain King(this would have to be fabricated to withstand the underground pressure) to a metal pipe. You would also have to weld a hook on the metal pipe to keep it from coming out of the Oil Well pipe and the hook would catch at the point that you see the big plume coming out of the pipe. Also, the Drain King would be inserted at the break in the oil pipe where the huge plume is coming out.
After the Drain King and pipe are insterted in the broken oil pipe and the hook is caught on the break in the oil pipe, inflate the Drain King with water and the Drain King will expand and almost completely block the flow of oil.
After this is done, the cement could possibly be injected into the riser to completely kill it.
This will work!
The company that makes the Drain King could probably fabricate such a thing in days.
The product would do just the opposite of what it was created to do, unclog drains. You are just reversing the process.
Type in “youtube drain king” video for a demonstration.
Sam
I have drilled and produced O&G wells in the past and although retired, I am slightly familiar with these problems.
The total solution to fixing this well is after the present BP method is not very satisfactory in completely stopping the flow of oil and gas, to use the other methods I posted here earlier (that were first allowed on this site… and then later removed from this thread and site).
To summarize the details for a “backup plan 3″:
1.) Immediately prepare a thick hollow steel cylinder a foot wider than the BOP, and tall enough to reach the seabed floor with the bottom end open and the top end closed with a fitting for a 20″ diameter casing to be attached. This will look like a tall tank with a huge 20″ pipe fitting at the top and an open bottom except for a seabed footing rim at the bottom. Make sure it will still have open room at the top when it sets on the bottom of the seafloor and make its bottom a wide footing to have something to sit on, rather than just sink deep into the seabed.
2.) Remove (the ” backup plan 2″) “cap” sitting on the cut off riser at the top of the BOP where there is still leaking oil and gas.
3.) Using the drill ship, lower the 20″ casing attached to the closed top of the tall tank cylinder slightly wider that the 4 story BOP that has the “bottom” of the 7 ft wide 4 story high cylinder still open… while pumping hot sea water through it. Being so very wide, it will be difficult not making it fit over the leaking oil and gas at the top of the BOP. The robots should have no fitting problems.
4.) When the robots see it fits over the flow at the top of the BOP, stop the hot water and keep lowering it until it sets on the seabed at the wide open end rim footing.
5.) Produce the captured oil flow coming up the 20″ casing and burn the gas.
6.) Connection fittings near the bottom of the huge upside down tank should be available so that can they can be used to cement the lower part of the tank against the BOP later if desired.
7.) After producing awhile, or when ready to plug the well, run enough cement to only allow the very top of the huge tank to remain open.
8.) There is great fear that applying pressure to the lower casing of the well will damage it further.
9.) To avoid such damage when plugging, instead of applying pressure to the well opening and the upper uncemented part of the huge tank, use something with extremely high specific gravity calculated to be able to fall through the turbulance and flow of the oil and gas, all the way to the bottom. Naturally this would be better done after step 7.) is completed.
10.) The nature of this substance could be shot made of some heavy metal like lead, or a liquid like mercury, introduced very slowly, and calculated to allow it time to fill in on top of the oil and gas flow at the bottom.
11.) Once all flow has stopped, using tubing to cement the well will be very easy.
12.) Let us suppose that mercury at a specific gravity of about 13.6 is used. Using 450 psi per thousand foot, there might be 18.36 thousand feet x 450 psi, or more than 8,262 psi, for a bottom hole pressure. The question is, “How tall a column of mercury would it take to shut off the bhp (bottom hole pressure)?” Say fresh water is about 0.43 psi per foot and mercury is 0.43 x 13.6 x 1,000, or about 5,848 psi per thousand feet of mercury column. It is easy to see that more that 8,262 divided by 5,848 or 1.413 thousand feet of mercury is needed. Now how much would it cost to buy enough mercury to fill an 8 inch hole 1,413 feet… I leave that to the purchasing department… but suggest they have twice that amount on hand just in case it leaks somewhere downhole.
13.) Just in case this post is again (accidentally) erased from this site, I will keep a copy of this suggestion… to send copies to all interested… including government, news, and coast-land people who suffer and want this pollution to stopped.
14.) Now after the backup plan 2 is unsatisfactory, what odds would you give this plan? Without any mechanical goof ups… I would give it a 95%.
15.) How long would it take to run 5000 feet of 20″ after “backup plan 2″ fails? I guess less than a day… but only if the open bottom tank and 20″ casing is on hand, ready to use… so the wetlands people won’t have to fret quite as long.
Sorry, when I composed the above, the last 2 posts I put up were not available… thank you, and hope my backup plan 3 is not needed. It might cost a little to have it ready however, but suspect if you find no flaws in it, that the cost would be justified of buying a tall tank and having 5000 feet of 20″ casing on hand. At least the casing could be returned if not used, should the “backup plan 2″ work. I suspect my plan has fewer possibilities of damaging something than fitting a new BOP to the well and could quickly be implemented.
Again thank you, Solver
Not knowing much about maritime problems with weather, I wondered if a large container vessel at the surface could be left alone or remotely controlled during a Hurricane as the Hurricane went over the site of the well and vessel? To prevent another spill, having continuous production into a container vessel is very desirable… once backup plan 3 started working.
Closing the top of the 20″ pipe might otherwise be disastrous due to downhole problems if the tank is already cemented to the BOP, or due to pushing up the flange at the bottom of the 4 story high tank over the BOP (above the seabed) if the open bottom tank is not cemented to the BOP and pressure pushes it upward.
I’m not an expert but why not just contain first the oil leak by a simple solution by fabricating a huge pipe that is much much bigger than the leaking valve and cap it. now you don’t have to worry about the pressure . On top of the bigger pipe is a huge containment section so ships can siphon oil. Now to hold the position of the containment section you need to position 4 huge computerized propellers on 4 corners of the containment section to counter the ocean current.
Or why not cement an area of the pipe that can withstand the oil pressure before the leaking valve and on the cemented area create a mechanism that can cut through the pipe to plug it.
Or why not create a smaller suction device that can tap on the leaking valve and on the end of the suction device is a rubber balloon container with a GPS locator chip once full will be released and retrieve by a ship.
Or create smaller hole on the pipe that is manageable to relieve pressure on the main leak and plug it one at a a time.
Why not cut the riser pipe where it is still 21″ diameter along with the drill pipe inside and drag out of the way. Next get an external catch over shot c/w 21″ grapple, pack the overshot with lead and latch it onto the pipe creating a seal around the riser . Now you will have pipe to surface JUST my .02
Way to many to read and a lot on the same idea I have. Interlocking Aluminum Telescopic Cylinders with attaching outer flaps. Flaps are closed on decent to bottom. After surrounding the leaking pipe, release the flaps to locking position and wait for the pressure to build and push each cylinder up until all reach the surface and cap it above water level. Junk is being dropped now that is going to make it harder to work on later on. I’ve heared this saying before, Keep it simple stupid! That’s my thought and i’m sticking to it.
How about re-directing the flow through another pipe in order to creat a vaccum or relief of pressure. The new pipeline would have to be constructed of course but you could cap it and some how capture the oil in an underwater tanker while trying to cap the damaged line.
My idea to stop the gulf oil spill was to use large Electro magnets on the out side of the blowout preventer and an iron based junk shot. The magnetism from the Electro magnets will hold some of the iron based junk shot. The more Electro magnets placed on the blowout preventer the more iron based junk shot can be held in the blowout preventer. When these Electro magnets are turned off a large amount of junk will be available plus the junk shot coming into the blowout preventer to overwhelm the piping and start the bridging process witch will stop the oil flow. the video is here along with others. http://www.youtube.com/user/CajonLiving#p/a/u/0/BP8VMFiaPYw
I have worked in the oil industry for 271/2 years and have contained and stop environmental leaks such as this or worst. First of all, skimmers, centrifuges, cyclone separators should be use to recover the oil. Environmental bugs or bug farms should be use to rid of unwanted oil and Bio discs to recover oil and re-used , refined and sent to de-salter unit refineries to refine oil and use the srap opil as asphalt. High pressure water should be used to cut a smooth cut on the thick pipe. This method has been used to cut pipe where blades have been dangerous especially around hydrocarbons. Once the pipe is cut smoothly, a slip flange with a bolted valve flange should be installed. The slip flange is configured to be used as a packing ring to seal the O.D. of the pipe. Once this is installed , a foot valve with reverse flow should be installed to provide a permanent seal.
Wow, some really great suggestions on here, way to go thinking people.
Here’s my simple stab at it:
Inject a large quantity of liquid nitrogen very rapidly directly into the flow deep underground and create a freeze plug of crude oil. If it works the you have options. Such as repair the thing or plug the thing permanently. Use the already low temperatures that exist to benefit the process. This is my patented solution and using it without paying royalties are subject to lawsuit as provided by federal infringement laws.
In Canada where we live, motor oil used in cars becomes very thick and viscous during the freezing winter. Could the application of cold or freezing in some way slow down the flow of oil so that a cap could be more easily placed onto the broken pipe?
I suggest that you notch out the diameter of the pipe 180 deg at the lowest point below all of the damage. Then slide a round plate into the notch which should slow the flow and volume. Then notch again above that point on the oposite side and do the same thing to continue to slow the flow by creating head (resistance). From this point drill a whole above that and pump in material that can complete a seal.
Hi, I have quiet a bit of experience with pressure and flows. I have a solution for this mess. Please check the size of the oilpipe which is spilling the oil and develop a pipe of smaller diameter than the one, which is spilling oil so that the newly developed pipe fits into the spilling pipe easily, do not worry if it is too small, we are looking for only 20 to 30 feet of this pipe and link this 20 to 30 feet pipe with a pipe of larger diameter which is hooked up to the ships ready to transport this precious thing (oil) on earth. Now get your powerful robots to push the end of this lower diameter pipe into the pipe spitting oil; I know it is a challenge. Once you are done. You will have @ 80 percent of oil being transported to be used for humans (not the fish!). So we have finished 80 percent of the proble, At this point of time, please bring your mud and cement, and that will work! and you will have 100% control in a few days. Please do not hesitate to contact me; I strongly believe that this can be done by this method