This isn’t rocket science,we seal leaking pipes all the time I know the depth is 5000 ft. but robots & air pressure could over come this.If the end of the leaking pipe is too badly damaged use a robot & abrasive saw to clean cut the pipe back to a undamaged section,if equalizing air pressure is not possible hydraulics will work.Just a 53 year old millwrights thoughts.

@Buz I must admit I couldn’t understand why they haven’t fixed this by now…

watch this youtube video of how they might be able to protect the at-risk land area:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDhqBtnVR1E

Thanks for the CAS tube advertisement Caleb. Would you care to pay for a more conventional ad next time?

i can give the idea to stop oil flooding in mexico gulf

@Sadala Okay, go ahead. Tell us, what should BP do?

Think about this, please and act now:
if you suck all the oil out from under the soil- won’t the top eventually cave in- seems to me we have Earthquakes, no? Think about it oil coats and runs between the rocks underground- we suck it out or “they” suck it out and whats left to fill the undeground and rock underneath? Nothing- so if you suck out all the oil or a large portion of it and it leaves gaps in the foundation underground, then what….the area is stable? Seems likely it would collapse- who are these assholes cashing in on the Earth and possibly destroying it- really tired of the B.S.Whats the issue at hand, they lose money? Thats tooo goddamn bad.
Oil is a problem, causes war and pollution and a serious serious environmental threat comes from its process-we need to do one thing and turn our utility sources into “GREEN” public resources to
cut emissions and reduce costs plus to be reintegrated with the
updated progressive technology which is solar and wind-merge the new
facilities such as Vestas and solar powered technologies with a term
contract which pays them back as money comes in per billing season-
the end result of the contract is for the utility companies to be
turned over into public resources- you can also employ hundred of
thousands in these newly revamped companies. Once redesigned these and
all utility companies are to reduce the cost of each households bills
and cycles-plus create clean energy. As this will save taxpayers money
per household on each bill and establish a healthy environment
permanently. Once integrated the profits from the utility companies in
each area must MUST go back into the community and excess profits into
funds and grants for other programs.
This is a form of socialized programming, however it is also a profit
sharing process- like the oil companies which send a check to Alaskans
each year- the green -solar and wind utility companies will then balance a part of the
economy, it will end the U.S. ‘s financial burden and eventually
reduce debt- the money or profits from the utility companies can then
go to schools, social welfare programs- it will cut the costs annually
from tax increases and reduce a public burden which as ruined our
countries economy for years. Besides the utility companies are for the
public- they should not be private outfits.
Mercedes developed an auto which runs with a “chip” and h2o- a car running on electric chips and a fuel water combo- this other crap is fricking bullshit

the oil spill is a disaster all tha poor fish and birds r dieing i feel like dieing i hope it doesnt get in the air.this must be the end of my life im only 11 i want 2 live please stop the oil spill.

Why not weld together a giant pendulum made of non corrosive steel and shape it so that starts as a point and gradually gets larger than the drilled hole in the bottom of the Gulf. Fill fill the pendulum with concrete to make it weight 100 tons or whatever weight is needed. Remove the the structure at the bottom of the Gulf and lower the pendulum into the hole, sealing the leak.

What about a device like a steel trap to go over the leak Where it is put into place then slams shut like a clam or a animal trap???

Could anyone please tell me how stable the working platform is which will have been constructed longside the well head, to anchor remote operated equipment.
How heavy is it, and is it just to one side, or has it been constructed to allow a gantry to be erected spanning the bore hole?

Unfortunately I cannot see the platform in any video shots.

I have some ideas, but need to know if there is potential for equipment on the platform to put unacceptable stress on the dammaged well head if connected to it.

Cheers
David
New Zealand

Further to the above, can it be confirmed that there HAS BEEN a platform lowered and atached (spiral screws?) to the sea bed alongside the rouge well head?

This is surely the first stage of the remedial effort.

The platform should have been lowered with hydraulic equipment fitted to manipulate various tools. By now an umbilical cable to transmit images and control equipment should have been brought back to shore, and be independant of weather.
PLEASE tell me that engineers are not still relying on ROVs on the sea bed!!!!

David
Civil Engineer (Retired)
New Zealand

I don’t know, David. As far as I can see, none of what you have suggested has been implemented. Are you surprised that they’re not spending the necessary money to remedy this problem quickly?

why not insert a pipe with some kind of expandable metal or bladder that could be inflated with claws to keep from pushing out OR
a threaded hollow cylinder the correct diameter with large
open valve at top, tap the hole for cylinder size, thread into hole while
valve is open (for pressure relief) sending oil to tanker, then shut valve

No David it is not the financial aspect I am concerned about, but from this distance it appears that although there is massive surface clean up under way, other than drilling relief wells due for completion some months away, virtually nothing is being done down at the rouge well head.

Construction, sinking and anchoring a stable working platform nearby, would not be expensive (in comparison). The robotic equipment required is in use in many types of industry, even in space!

Only with a stable foundation can any work be carried out without risk of further dammage, and with an undersea cable brought ashore (at only moderate cost), work can be programmed, controled, closely monitored and virtually continuous. Even during the predicted hurricane season it may have been possible to continue undersea operations.

Frankly I run out of superlatives to describe how appalled I am to hear that no work platform has been set up.

Do you have any influence within the industry to encourage action? I am at a safe distance here in the South Pacific but when the oil plumes beneath the Gulf are shaken and stirred by the first hurricane, the full extent of the catastrophy will become more evident.

Regards

David

There are plenty of good ideas out there, but the processing by deephorizon and BP is flawed and the oil companies are not likely to go ‘outside’ for real ideas…unless one has a name like Costner or James Cameron, and a publicity opportunity arises. From the very start, guidelines should have been established as to the working environment and what materials were practical under 2000 lbs/sq.ft. of pressure. Sometimes simple solutions can solve complex problems and perhaps two good ideas can become a great idea…if only it can get into the right hands. Sharing thoughts and insight can perhaps help.

@David Hurricane Alex, first of the season, is already causing problems in the Gulf. As to my having any influence within the industry…err, no. I can report on the issues and expose the scandals, but since when did multinationals and governments listen to science journalists?

As Dennis stated there have been numerous ideas, some bizzare, but several with more than a possibility of success. Most, however, require precise control of manipulating equipment given the pressure of the oil flow. (The surrounding water pressure can almost be considered irrelevant)

The possibility of using a lightweight ROV to perform the work is asking a mouse to restrain an elephant, and it is understandable that the oil company has not attempted to implement any of the suggestions, given that THEY HAVE NOT ESTABLISHED A STABLE WORK PLATFORM FITTED WITH APPROPRIATE EQUIPMENT.

It is unbelievable.

It is indeed unbelievable that they have not put in place the necessary equipment to control this outpouring of oil, it’s many weeks now since the accident, I suspect, however, that there is some underlying econopolitical wrangling that means no one is forcing BP and its partners to solve this problem.

You must be right David.

The environment, while hostile in the extreme, can be endured.
The location of the damaged structure is known.
The physical dimensions of the damaged structure are known.
The forces generated by the discharge of liquid and gasses can be calculated.
The Engineers with skills needed to perform the difficult task are available.
The technology needed is proven.
The equipment required to attempt remedial action is available, but has not been deployed.

It must be econopolitical, far beyond the ability of a mere Engineer to comprehend.

What a nightmare. We can send people to space, but we can’t plug a well. Unbelievable.

Another view about the spill –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LZF2s9q3p8

Members of the Media:

When it became evident that the gulf oil spill was a major spill and previous methods for sealing such a leak were questionable. The call went out for concepts and technical help to stop the leak.

Myself as well as many others stepped forward with advanced technology concepts
that were unfortunately either totally ignored by BP or put into a continuous cycle of requests for additional information. Government funding to become available at a later date.

Promised funding for such projects may someday be available but as for now it seems to be a waiting game. Waiting is a very dangerous game to play considering that currently there is no method of stopping a deep oil leak in a timely manner to avoid a major disaster. After witnessing the deep horizon event I as well as many others now consider every existing offshore well a potential time bomb just waiting to blow.

It has been well established over the years that to trust either the oil firms or the assigned regulatory agencies to maintain drilling safety on a consistent basis is a grievous and costly error. The only future defense we will have is to be able to apply new technology in a rapid response manner and minimize overall damage. That is the sole purpose of the system called EMOPP or “Electro Magnetic Oil Pipe Plugger”. Specifically designed to seal off a major deep well spills within days and not months.

There will of course be a period of time when oil firms will think twice about cost saving factors that create possible safety hazards. The politicians will voice there views through added legislation and agree “Never Again”. The regulators will rededicate themselves to following even stronger guidelines. Unfortunately history has shown in many ways that in spite of good intentions we usually go back to “business as usual”

One questions this 70 year old former Marine / retired Design Engineer has!
How many times must we hit the same tripwire before we can honestly say?

“WE GET IT !”

While it is fantastic that the leak is now plugged, the question remains: what part of the final solution was not available within a few days of the initial disaster?
Further, if it really does take such a long time to construct the device that was ultimately fitted, how many duplicates have been constructed and are in storage at strategic ports of the world?

The cost of these, or the EMOPP devices referred to by Joseph, would be insignificant in comparison to the environmental cost now faced.

We are told that the majority of oil released has dissipated by a combination of biological, chemical and mechanical processes. We are also told that it is possible that there are natural releases of large quantities of hydrocarbons caused by tectonic plate movement and distortion. However we only have one Earth and our footprints on it are not pretty.