Transocean Oil Spill - Backup plan for containment dome?

Sorry about the previous post containing a picture so large. It was like trying to identify an elephant using a microscope. This is what happens when you stay up till 1:30 in the morning trying to draw centrifugal separators. Please see the Drilling Club link below.

Here is the concept I had for separating the water/oil mix at the sea floor and piping the separated crude up to the ship. The package of three separators should output 190,000 gallons of crude /day from 3,600,000 gallons/day of seawater/oil mix if my calculations are correct. I am leaving it to better minds to ponder.

http://drillingclub.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=wellcontrol&action=display&thread=4837&page=28

The closest equipment I could locate that seemed to be a good match for the concept:
http://pdf.directindustry.com/pdf/alfa-l....02-13324 8.html

It would likely need to be equipped with a secondary pump to get the separated crude back to the surface and a pump to discharge water out the side.

Concept:
Enclose the entire skid in a tank. The tank would only need to be rated for 5 to 10 psi differential pressure. The bottom would be weighted so it could be submerged without tipping.
Pressure equalization system: Similar to a second stage scuba regulator only the diaphragm would be biased so 2 – 5 psi higher pressure is maintained within the tank. It would continually adjust the pressure during descent/ascent.
Purging system: A dump valve with a float would be installed in the bottom of the enclosure. If water rises to trip the float the internal higher pressure would exhaust the water out the bottom.
Effects of pressure on machinery components: Would need to ensure that all components are solid. E.g.: No foam gaskets or seals, no voids in epoxy that could collapse under pressure. The seals may need to be replaced after recovering the unit to surface if it hasn't been decompressed. They could rupture.
Umbilical: Would allow passage of separated crude oil back up to the surface and power from the ship down to supply the motors. Could also contain booster pumps if needed.
Power: Could be hydraulic taking into account the pressure losses with this much travel. Electrical power has been considered in the past for diver tools. I am not a sparky so I would defer that to the Naval Civil Engineering Lab. The power requirements for equipment this large are considerable if you consider the possibility of multiple units.
Intake: Could be a fabric cone with lift bags at the top and anchored to the sea floor. A hose would be attached at the top of the cone and the other end connected to the centrifuge through a bulkhead fitting in the side of the enclosure.

Placement of the cone, hoses, anchors, etc would all depend on ROV capabilities.

Hello Guest,

Why not register here? Not only would we get to know you more quickly and easily, but you could get automatic email alerts when someone replies to your post.

Nevertheless, welcome to CR4.

that's too funny! ahahahaha.

Guest is Kyzine (I think...) got banned for bad behaviour in Feb, but is still an intelligent and well loved contributor.

You can generally tell by the quality of the posts, so he usually skips the signature..

Chris

Hi Chris,

Of all Kyzine's posts that I've seen, none seemed offensive to me. Now that you say it though, the quality seems to match. The other thing is that the link he offered was to the Driller's Club. It was just recently brought up in the oil spill threads, so I thought he was new here.

Anyway, very knowledgeable on the issue.

I've been following these threads with interest because the subject matter is one that I am unfamiliar with. Until this spill and it's impact, I had never thought about exactly how underwater oil well drilling is done. I am learning so much on this subject. I am content just to read posts and internet articles.

By the way, nice models of POVs! What do you use for a modeling package?

Mike

I am using Solidworks 2010.

I haven't worked in the oil industry since the early 1980's. About my only offshore experience was on a Gulf jack up rig once for a tubing conveyed perforating job. Mainly designed draw works for land rigs and power units for offshore wireline use. Also worked a bit on undersea diver power tools.

sounds like interesting stuff!

How do you like 2010? I haven't used it. My license stopped with 2007, so I have to wait to get another job with solidworks, or win some money.

Chris

This little project is really the first time I have used it. It doesn't seem that different from 2009 so far.

What power tools were they ? Hydraulic?in the Gulf just curious.

Unfortunate to see the gas expansion is freezing sea water round collection dome causing it to float away from location. Complications of the system not being able to seperate gas from oil untill it hits the surface also causing oil to thicken up, I dont envy the engineers problems.

Hello Garth,

I worked on the prototypes for two of the four seawater powered diver tools for the Naval Civil Engineering Lab. They were an impact wrench and rock drill. There was also a manufacturing study for a right angle grinder and bandsaw. The company I worked for at the time also provided larger underwater oil hydraulic impact wrenches, grinders and a chainsaw. One of the impact wrenches was set up for ROV capability.

I was attempting to conceptualize a ring style pump inlet that would allow the gases to free flow through the middle and pull the seawater/crude oil mix into the ring. Anyway you look at it the people on the ship above the leak are at risk due to the gas pockets.

OK, you talked me into it. I registered. And, no, I am obviously not Kyzine. This incident is what finally convinced me to go online.

I apologize.. You look just like 'im.

Welcome aboard!

Is anyone familiar with a pump inlet device at the end of a hose that would separate liquid from gas? The concept that comes to mind would be similar to a large centrifugal pump housing completely open through the center. If placed directly over one of the oil leaks at the sea floor could a pump inlet be designed to allow gas to escape through the middle of the housing into open ocean and the crude/oil mix directed to the suction pump? The nozzle would need to be able to withstand kicks from the well without being blown out of position.

I remembered the vortex tube since it has been advertised so heavily over the years. Could a variation be used in a situation like this (Reverse flow) to use mild centrifugal force to partially separate the seawater from the crude oil and allow the escape of a potential gas kick? It would need to be powered by the differential pressure generated by the pump inlet. The other risk that would need to be avoided would be crystalization of the gas unless you could ensure it would be ejected out the top and out of the pump inlet flow.

http://www.exair.com/en-US/Primary%20Navigation/Products/Vortex%20Tubes%20and%20Spot%20Cooling/Vortex%20Tubes/Pages/A%20Phenomenon%20of%20Physics.aspx

If there is merit for this in this application is anyone up for the challenge?

I just added this to the Drilling club site:

http://drillingclub.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=wellcontrol&action=display&thread=4837&page=32

Sorry, I was off a couple pages on the link.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#bismuth-alloys/=70974z

Different melting temperature grades are available for each metal.
Bismuth melting temperature range: 158 - 338F
Indium melting temperature range: 117 - 260F

In light of the current situation I decided to add an earlier entry from the drilling club discussion just to throw it out there to spur thought of other possibilities.

http://drillingclub.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=wellcontrol&action=display&thread=4837&page=11

Hi KDS Welcome to CR4,

I appreciate the shape charge pipe crimp method, I believe I mentioned this on a previous CR4 post. Considering there desperate situation if they can place one it might be the only way to reduce the flow in a reasonable time scale. It would need some carefull caculations.

Somehow I do not see the entrapment tank working in this situation, certainly your suggestion on the centrifuge system has merit, but construction and application could be to long in this case.

My interest in the UW tooling design was peaked I did some hydraulic tool and pumping systems for torque wrenches in the North sea many years ago. I like the idea of sea water powered tools, how did you handle the reaction, a short dump hose tied off somewhere, or opposed exhausts?

After learning more regarding the hydrates complications I am of the opinion that a full separation system would likely be needed requiring multiple submerged skids. I would hope every available centrifugal separator would be in use right now for processing surface oil. What I would like to see at this point would be an emergency plan going forward with equipment and a fast response team that could address the problems at the sea floor before the oil dissipates. If the hydrates could be dealt with at that level it would solve a host of problems.

There is still plenty out there regarding the seawater hydraulics. Most of what I worked on is ancient history now, going back to the mid 1980's.

KDS/Guest, I proposed your idea of shaped charges to crimp the pipe at multiple points where it was laid over at right angles to the riser on another forum of non-drillers. Interestingly enough the only response was a sever flame coming from a member of the United Kingdom Business Association (Stuart Baird) who seemed to be a little miffed that I would criticize what BP was doing to stop the blow out.

It is too bad that we can't seem to apply basic research from the 1940's to today's problems (Collapsing tubes at Los Alamos). I am refering to the movie "Fat Man & Little Boy"

Here is the image of the Oil & Water centrifugal separator so you don't have to become a member of the drilling club to view it. As stated later this would likely need to be combined with other seabed systems to separate the liquid from gas emissions prior to delivery to the centrifugal separators.

From initial Thread:

Here is the concept I had for separating the water/oil mix at the sea floor and piping the separated crude up to the ship. The package of three separators should output 190,000 gallons of crude/day from 3,600,000 gallons/day of seawater/oil mix if my calculations are correct. I am leaving it to better minds to ponder.