It’s one failure after the next for oil giant BP. The corporation’s latest attempt to stop oil from spilling out of the Deepwater Horizon well fell short. This weekend, BP attempted to place a four-story containment box over the well, which would then siphon up to 85 percent of the oil. However, icelike hydrates common at such ocean depths clogged the box’s opening, preventing oil siphoning. Now, BP is scrambling to find another option to control the damage.
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Photo courtesy of AP, Patrick Semansky
And they better find one fast: Already, about 3.5 million gallons of oil have gushed from Deepwater Horizon since the explosion on April 20th. At this pace, the damage will surpass that of the Exxon Valdez oil spill by June 20th.
Right now, BP is considering a couple of containment methods. One is to lower a smaller dome onto the well. Because the smaller structure holds less water, it’s less vulnerable to icelike crystals. BP says it can have the dome ready by Tuesday or Wednesday of this week. Secondly, the company is considering using a tube to shoot mud and concrete into the well’s blowout preventer, a process that will take at least two-to-three weeks. And finally, BP is looking at possibly cutting the well’s undersea riser pipe and using a larger pipe to pump oil to a drill ship on the water’s surface.
Whichever method BP chooses to implement, we hope it happens quickly. Perhaps the best option is making a time machine–that way, we could turn back the clock and never lift the moratorium on offshore oil drilling in the first place.
Via MSNBC
Concuss the well head with shaped charges untill it collapses. Preserving the well-head is no longer an option.
They are a company built on making profits. Of course they won’t destroy the well head. You think this is an organization with morals we are talking about? If noone knew about their little spill, they would care less.
I have a couple of ideas on how to cap this thing. Seriously!
A few of these wells have been through this situation and were stuffed with concrete, The concrete leaks and doesn\’t prevent damage to the ecosystem. My idea will not only cap the problem but will also be easy to make. Don\’t think it will be easy to cap this huge hole full of buoyant oil in Salt water. The idea of this cap is to also have a control valve on it. Some thing like a pipe line to main land resources will also help.
My Idea will have to not only cover and seal the blown out pipe but also be anchored in such a way it will not move. My email is open to those who can help me find the right people to talk to about this cap. I design things using Auto-CAD and 3D modeling, I am will to get a closer look at this problem. I am also willing to get my hands dirty! Shamon2071@yahoo.com
shamon,
can your cad sketch up a plan on getting the concrete 5000ft below sea level? sounds easy but i think the water temp,oil temp, oil velocity, water presure all make this issue almost impossible to correct. if this happened on land the pipe would have been fixed the next day. Explosions sound like a better option, it will just take time to drill down and try to colaps the pipe below the floor of the sea.
could they not make a robot that would go down and place a large valve over the pipe with a compression fitting and tighten it and close the valve?
Why not use two pipes leading from the cap to the vessel afloat?
[...] attempts to stop the oil from gushing into the Gulf for over six weeks now — from containment domes to junk shots nothing seems to work. Obama laid out his plan for BP to put money in the hands of a [...]
As a Drilling Company consultant for 30 yrs. I can stop the gusher and could have 60 days ago within 48 hrs ” All Leaks Stopped ” but like most no-one will listen. to us “Small People”
This is free to you No Charge. ! my current rates do run $300 per minute..! but I will submit me tech info to stop the Gusher.,
2- Coil tubing units insert 1st as far as it will go pump liquid nitrogen build a freeze plug. insert 2nd as close to freeze plug and pump cement plug. 25 yrs ago ALL wells used liquid nitrogen to cement plug. it just became more cost effecient to not use liquid nitrogen. I have tried to contact All invovled from w/h la.gov. Bp uscg. Halliburton. Fox nbc Cnn.all give thanks and zip.? Call me Owner of Drillers Inc. 405-538-7614 sincerely Al