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Kill the Spill: BP Needs Bigger Ideas


GREENandSAVE Staff
Posted on Tuesday 25th May 2010

Source: GFI
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Sometime in the next few days, BP says it will officially launch what it is calling a "Top Kill" operation.

Oil continues to gush from a broken pipe in the Gulf of Mexico, and, while BP, the company responsible, maintains that only 5,000 barrels are flowing into the water every day, one group of scientists thinks the leak could be dumping as much as 100,000 barrels a day.

And while BP has a list of funny-sounding solutions (dome, top hat, hot tap, junk shot), nothing has worked yet. Oil keeps gushing into the Gulf, at an unknown rate.

Jon Stewart, looking closely at the names top hat and hot tap, called BP out: “Our solution to this is to come up with anagrams?”

The Top Kill solution is meant to plug the leaking Gulf of Mexico well by injecting heavy drilling mud and cement into it. If that fails, they'll try another dome. A smaller one.

But, maybe smaller domes aren't the answer. GREENandSAVE President Charlie Szoradi thinks that ending this massive catastrophe calls for catastrophic measures. And the thinks that it's probably not a good idea to rely on the people that got us into this mess (BP) to get us out. Maybe President Obama needs to take over? Or maybe we need to assemble a dream team of engineers and artists and scientists?

If Charlie was in charge, he said, he would want to look closely at the very most radical ideas. Ideas like smothering the oil leak by sinking a half million ton BP oil tanker on top of the broken well. And ideas like using Navy submarines to fire torpedoes into the Gulf floor at a perimeter around the well and force massive ground soil up and over the leak.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is a radical problem, and anagrams are not radical enough solutions.

Guest's picture
Posted on 25 May 2010 - 6:10pm by Guest.
use a lot of cement that they use to make bridges an put it on top of the oil leak. adam caksackkar
Tony Dreher's picture
Posted on 25 May 2010 - 7:44pm by Tony Dreher.
Here is a solution I see could work. I work in the medical field and think a divice/pipe similar to a endotracheal tube would help. We use endotracheal tubes to ventilate a patient which is a hollow tube with a "cuff" attached to the distal exterior of the tube. The cuff when inflated with air (in medical field) blocks off air from ecaping around the tube and therefore ventilating the lungs. In the case of the oil leak, insert a pipe with smaller diameter than oil pipe with a "cuff" attached. And either inflate the cuff or maybe use a dense fluid to fill cuff for better seal. Then BP would have the leak sealed and still be able to pull the oil from the well.
Tony Dreher
Spokane, WA.
Mark's picture
Posted on 25 May 2010 - 10:37pm by Mark.
I agree it would work
cynthia's picture
Posted on 26 May 2010 - 8:03am by cynthia.
I just saw on CNN that if BP's Top Kill stategy doesn't work today then some key senators are calling for Obama to take over the fix project, using the full might of the military. Charlie's idea about using Navy subs and torpedos may actually happen.
AL's picture
Posted on 26 May 2010 - 11:41am by AL.
It's too late to use a top cover solution. The seabed itself is probably collapsing from the heavy seawater weight and forcing the oil to spew out at a tremendous rate. The Broken Pipe is an unrecoverable portion of the seabed structure. If the oil stops flowing, then it will mean that there may not be much oil reserves left.
It's best to use a multiple stage process. Let's use the outflow pressure against itself. This proposal will require a deep sea submersible. The first stage to reduce the flow by inserting a small, streamlined, metal block with a chain tail that will, after a maximum insertion (maybe 50 feet, at least 22 feet) into the open pipe, expand and grip the inside of the pipe wall. Then the second stage requires using a second, streamlined, slightly-larger metal block with motors to grip the chain tail to advance up to the first metal block to further reduce the oil flow. This should be follower up with more, heavier metal blocks. The additional blocks will support the chain tail in the spewing pipe without causing another break in the pipe. With a reduced outflow pressure, it will be easier to close the leaking pipe, followed by the top-hat approach.
Pray that this will work and save the nearby beaches and wildlife, and city water infrastructure.
james's picture
Posted on 26 May 2010 - 10:49pm by james.
There is a solution to this problem. I used to own a rhino lining dealership and i know the power of polyurthane. if you can get a pipe several feet in the tube you can pump heated polyurthane in it. will will harded instantly and as it gets closer to the opening of the leak it will "foam" it is a oil based product so the mix may need to altered. call rhino lining and a few other companies for more advice. I'm 90% sure this will work. it only depends on how deep you can get a hose in the leak. it will work MUCH better than mud and concrete. I am also a BP owner.
James Cramer
256.394.4596
ahuvah's picture
Posted on 1 June 2010 - 4:09am by ahuvah.
i wish i had a solution to stop the oil. I do know of a solutions that could clean up the spill. - http://biopetroclean.com/
bruce michalowski's picture
Posted on 1 June 2010 - 7:32pm by bruce michalowski.
Considering there are underwater robots to cut the pipe, why not a saddle fitting applied upstream of the leak and a "wet tap" taking place, obviously they were able to drill at that depth, easier said than done, has the size of this pipe been revealed???
peter's picture
Posted on 2 June 2010 - 3:40am by peter.
just sitting in my hot tub thinkin if there is oil in here what would absorbit. this country has tons of farmers with hay! hay is absorbent start spreding hay near coast lines at least when it starts to absorb the oil it is able to be extracted more quickly!
Guest's picture
Posted on 2 June 2010 - 10:07am by Guest.
THIS IS EASY: USING THE UNDERSEA ROBOT, PLACE A CLAMP AROUND A SECTION OF PIPE WITH A HYDRAULIC RAM ATTACHED TO THE CLAMP. PUMP THE RAM UNTIL THE PIPE IS CLOSED AND LEAVE IN PLACE UNTIL A PERMANENT SOLUTION IS IN PLACE.
THIS IS BASICALLY THE SAME AS PEENING A PIPE FLAT WITH A HAMMER. AUTO BODY SHOPS AND CONSTRUCTION CREWS USE THESE DEVICES EVERY DAY.
Bob H - Guest's picture
Posted on 3 June 2010 - 10:25pm by Bob H - Guest.
15,000 psi pressure in pipe overcomes immense atmospheric pressure at 5000 foot depth making stopping or tapping pipe directly problematic.
If BP can't seal pipe ON sea floor, bring an artificial sea floor/oil reservoir UP to pipes on surface rig where they can be attached.
Create a massive upside down immersed cofferdam out of a large concrete lined steel barge with huge hole in bottom – with multiple pipe access fittings pre-installed in top deck of barge. Gradually sink and lower barge toward pipe opening on sea floor via cables - attach drilling pipes from the surface rig in sections, just as if drilling a new well until barge/cofferdam is on sea floor over pipe. No seal expected - initially excess oil pressure will bleed out through, under sides at sea floor - until surface pumps start to suck up the oil above the water in barge at rate equal to outflow. Separate any sea water on surface. Distribute oil to waiting ships – or run floating pipe to shore. Sell oil.
They built whole Liberty ships in WWII in about two weeks. There are lots of barges around.
Greg Ruble's picture
Posted on 12 June 2010 - 2:02pm by Greg Ruble.
Take a deep water sub to lower a section of pipe fitted with an air inflated seal on the inside edge of the section that will fit over the brake and a small air tank with a release handle the deep water sub can pull to initiate the interior pipe air infalted seal. Once the sub has the pipe fitted over the well head it will release the air from the small tank to inflate the seal as the sub hangs on to the pipe. Once the seal is inflated have the second deep water sub attach the second section of pipe using the same method. You must remember that the weight of the first and second sections of pipe will determine the the perscentage of the seal since currents that deep are prevalent. After the second deep water sub completes it's section of pipe, the initial deep water sub can return to the surface for another section of pipe and return to the second deep water sub position and as one holds the pipe in place the first deep water sub can place the third section of pipe and keep going back and forth in that rotation until you reach the surface where you can either cap the well head until further repairs can be made at the initial break.
eamon mcconnell's picture
Posted on 14 June 2010 - 5:37am by eamon mcconnell.
USA dispose of thousands of square miles used carpet/underlay each year, all the carpet should be used to cover the beaches then disposed of after the oil is caught . Also use the carpet to drop over the main slicks this carpet can be retrieved/disposed of after the oil has been caught in the carpet fibers.
Guest's picture
Posted on 16 June 2010 - 12:42am by Guest.
I had the exact idea listed by Bob H. I'm sure there are factors that I don't know about, but this seems like a great solution.
scott bridges's picture
Posted on 20 June 2010 - 3:13pm by scott bridges.
called /BP/ with my idea: Cut /leaking pipe/ above sand below the/ BOP. USE LONG LARGER PIPE WITH OUTSIDE EDGES LIKE A DRILL BIT FOR DIGGING INTO SAND, SPIN OR DRILL THE PIPE OVER EXISTING SMALLER LEAKING PIPE INTO FLOOR OF SAND. AT TOP OF PIPE HAVE ONE OR MORE , SHUT OFF VALVES CONNECTED, LEAVE VALVE OPEN, TO RELEIVE PRESSURE,SPIN OR DRILL DOWN ENOUGH SO LARGER PIPE COVERING LEAKING SMALLER PIPE WOULD GO DOWN 50 TO 200 FEET BELOW THE SURFACE, AND OIL WOULD COME THREW VALVE AT TOP. CONNECT TO SHIP. COULD ALSO HAVE A VAVLE THAT WOULD THREAD ITSELF SO AS YOU DIG DOWN WHEN THE FIRST VALE REACHES THE CUT ORIGINAL PIPE IT WOULD THEN THREAD ITSELF INTO THE CUT PIPE, AS THERE WOULD NO LONGER BE ANY PRESSURE AT THAT POINT OR AREA OF THE PIPE. CHOICES WOULD BE SHUTTING OFF THE VALVES A LITTLE AT A TIME, AS YOU GO UP THE PIPE, SHUTTING THE FIRST ONE JUST ALITTLE AND THE NEXT A LITTLE MORE AND SO FORTH USING 5-10 VALVES OR JUST PUMPING IT INTO THE SHIP
EAMON MCCONNELL's picture
Posted on 21 June 2010 - 6:48pm by EAMON MCCONNELL.
1 Place discarded carpets on beaches and wetlands, two or three deep if necessary, anchor with stakes or weights if required, 2 Remove when top carpets become oil filled. Try this on one linear mile of beach to see results, if it keeps the sand clean then apply to all area's in danger. Should be more efficient then gathering up tons of sand and little oil blobs. Also try dropping larger carpets over mail oil slicks the oil will catch on fibers the oil filled carpet can then be removed.
Mark tanis & William Sikkel's picture
Posted on 23 June 2010 - 9:40pm by Mark tanis & William Sikkel.
Blow the whole thing up. Explosive experts should have no problem figuring this out to colapse the whole thing. Sure some damage at sea, but far less at the shore?????
Guest's picture
Posted on 25 June 2010 - 10:18pm by Guest.
The place where I work has a machine that has hydraulic clamps. The clamps stay straight until activated. The leg of the clamp then turns 90 degrees. The idea I had was to put three or four clamps around the top cap they are using with a gasket. When dropped on top of the leaking union, the cylinders could be activated, holding the cap tight in place.
dudus's picture
Posted on 7 July 2010 - 9:35pm by dudus.
oh please. enough with this preposterous self-promotional egoistic onanism. "if charlie was in charge..." what sycophantic loser actually composed this garbage anyway?! jesus thank god he is not "in charge" of anything, as reckless and irresponsible ideas like nukes and oil tanker sinkings are idiotic at best and downright dangerous at worst. stick to designing rooftop gardens and solar saunas you f'ing goofball.

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