Gulf Oil Leak?

Several variations of this have already been suggested in the multitude of pre-existing threads on the subject.

This is probably off topic but that is an excellent link Randall

GA for you!

HI Randall,

I concur with KJK/USA and Doorman. GA and thanks.

Not good news, though.

Mike

That is a very scary read. With the possibilities so dire, I have to say, I am amazed that every piece of data isn't being uploaded to the internet on one site, for everyone to see, I think people can handle the truth, delaying it doesn't do any good. I've got one more thought on a possible way to stop it and forgive me if it sounds dumb, or is completely absurd. Is there a material, phosphorous or something like it that could be used in a great enough amount, placed above the well on the sea floor and ignited, that would burn hot enough to melt the whole mess into a glass cap? Just a thought.

The Railroads use a similar bonding agent to weld "bonds" (copper leads) to the rail for signal controls at crossings. I was thinking a "collar" (giving a clean end to the case to work with) with an extended internal tapered sleeve extended down into the compromised (I assume) pipe to strengthen it. Perhaps a cam lock coupling or like fastener to connect back to containment.

what's makes this worse, is there are speculations even before this disaster that the world's oil wells have conduits connecting them together. and BP has struck this conduit, they say.

and I really wonder what nature's use is for the oil under the earth. assume that we never developed the technology for using that oil, but instead used other energy sources, isn't that oil acting as some sort of "lubricant" in the earth's crust? if we emptied those wells and left cavities in them, they'd surely collapse and creative massive earthquakes which would ripple all over the earth, causing domino collapses in other wells?

and hey, I'm not seeing the gusher anymore from BP's live feed!! what's this I'm looking at?? my time is GMT+4, and it's now 11:25am in Dubai.

RHABE
http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/584420/Re-Gulf-Spill-Likely-To-Get-Worse

and Rorschach
http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/584655/Re-Gulf-Spill-Likely-To-Get-Worse

Have serious doubts about the credibility of the article. They are very much better qualified than most people to comment on the situation.

I stand by my original opinion about the complexity of the problem.

No, because, 40,000 barrels per day X 40 gallons per barrel = 1,600,000 gallons per day/24 hours = 66,666.6 gallons per hour/ 60 minutes = 1,111.1 gallons per minute.

Someone suggested that it is a 7 inch pipe inside a larger casing. Calculate the outflow velocity and you will see the problem.

The oil is a mile below the water's surface. That's 2,350PSI at just over freezing.

I don't see much pipe to hook on to.

The currents over 5,000 vertical feet of water must be maddening.

I believe

What a mess.

"Knowing very little about the actual numbers allows "outside the box" thinking."

While this is undoubtedly true, it also can mean the solutions proposed are completely useless.

I suspect the highly trained, highly experienced experts who actually work in the industry probably don't need our advice.

It's probably a good public relations move to pretend to listen.

Agreed, I find it quite humorous that there are so many laymen proposing, even to a non-expert such as myself, such ridiculous ideas. Can they not understand/comprehend, that the VERY BEST PEOPLE/MINDS in the ENTIRE INDUSTRY WORLDWIDE are working on this problem. Are these armchair quarterbacks that naive to think that the people who are actually in the know have not been consulted or contacted regarding this immense disaster?

I wonder if these do-gooders have opinions/advice on other relatively smaller crisis, such as brain surgery, nuclear power plant operations, and the Mars rover?

Sheesh ......................

Yes, Guest. They do have equally valid opinions/advice on every other subject imaginable.

Personally, I think BP should just use a laser or something to stop the oil flow. Don't they realise all the damage it's doing?

DAMN- Looks like someone else in a prior post has already sugggested lasers or ion beams, as they say "great minds think alike".

Is it assumed that common sense is also present? The difference between stupidity and intelligence...is there is a limit to intelligence. I would think that if I was in a crisis situation, I would listen to any idea. Someone has the RIGHT answer!

I hate to burst your bubble my friend, but most of these so called experts have a very narrow field of scope. These problems on cation have been resolved with a very simple fix if these people would only open their eyes and look outside the box. the answers are as plain as the nose on your face. I work daily in R & D. I see daily how some of the most intelligent people in the world can do some of the stupidest things.

All they need is to have someone that understands what they are trying to do. the answer are there.

I hope that you have a wonderful day.

I do believe without a doubt that the problem at hand can be resolved in less than 24hrs. I know that I can do it, real simple.

Put up or shut up!

My idea was to force a metal umbrella down the hole and let it open whenever possible

PEbobimm

I have also thought about a similar concept. Where the diameter of the casing is know, of which I'm sure they know this information. Machine a feral that is the reverse of one used to secure a piece of tubing to an adaptor. In machining this adaptor use a fine thread this would give max torch when securing in place. Attached to this fitting could be staging valves ti allow clear flow while inserting the adaptor.

The valve then could be closed in stages preventing shock on final closing.

Most of the potential solutions suggested share some common traits:

1. A sincere curiosity as to why the problem has not been fixed/why a specific solution has not been implemented;

2. An unquestioning faith in the integrity of pipe extending from the seafloor that previously failed catastrophically in multiple places due to the pressures involved in the system.

The first common trait really should lead to additional research... which might as a result address the second common trait.

As is common, explosives were used to perforate the pipe and to break up the formations impeding the release of oil.

Some estimates are that the oil in the pipe is at 70,000+ psi. It may be that BP has unleashed something that they really have no hope of controlling.

There are also reports that the oil coming out of the pipe is only one of three major flows (not necessarily the biggest either). If the reports of oil spewing out from the sea floor are indeed true, then there may be very little that can be done until the alternate wells reach the target a couple miles below.

When beginning deep drilling operations, those diagonal wells should be pre-drilled to within a couple hundred feet of the main hole, so that any future spills only require a couple weeks to shut down and not many many months.

BB B

As with any pipe repair you have to get to the undamaged section of pipe that is not distorted, then you will need to cut the end square.

I would believe that the inflatable seals could possible stop oil leakage, they would not have enough grip to hold on to the pipe.

Quick math gives one some clues of the outcome, the pipe having > 22 in. sq. of cross section, the pressure at +/- 5,280 ft deep being +/- 2400 PSI and the oil is being pushed out of the pipe at greater than 2400 PSI.

In one column inch the oil is coming out with enough force to push a car around, you are pushing a loaded 18 wheeler with that type of force!

I still feel an inflatable seal with a bypass through to allow pressure through would work. put a stop (like a grate on the end of the pipe) and then push the seal into the pipe as far as possible and inflate. The longer the seal the more frictional surface there is to make contact with the well casing. There are concerns over the integrity of the casing but even if you were able to take much of what is coming out would be better than not. Perhaps shove the whole seal with bypass pipe as far into the casing as possible and inflate it with hydraulic fluid. I think this would be the best method of getting control over the flow. Difficult-yes, impossible-no.

? What're you gonna use to push that "seal" down far enough ... EARTH'S MOON?!?!

Read the article linked above.

It, as well as previous threads, are CHOCK FULL of information about what's happened down there.

It AIN'T just a "top-leak".

The well is blown-out way down below...and thus, IF they were to perform one of these "SIMPLE" cap-fixes, THEN all of the pressure of 'mother-earth' would be blowing out the lower leak-point, much-more-quickerly-eroding-away what little support there is for that heavy BOP sitting on top.

" T I M B E R R R R R r r r r r.....!!!" Over goes the whole thing. Once again, simply wasting a LOT of TIME, EFFORT, and RESOURCES , all to no avail ... except for making things WORSE.

DDT

That is why if you read what I wrote, a seal with a BYPASS THROUGH IT to collect the oil, therefore you are not stopping the flow. I understand there is a lot of pressure, so you place a grate accross the pipe and weld it in place using the rov and then force the seal through the grate using an rov, then inflate it slowly, the pressure will force it against the grate and hold it in place, then you can collect the oil from the bypass while otherwise sealing the rest of the pipe. Basically it is a pipe with an inflatable gasket around it. This would cure any unevenness in the pipe and seal the leak while allowing you to collect the oil.

The reason this has not been entertained is because the SMALL PEOPLE in this country is not, and has not been informed of the real problem or the real condition of the tubing leading into the well. We are relying on the information fed to us from BP and their constituants and the ones under their financial control..They will fix it when they get ready, if we bug'em to much they will simply walk away..tough but...

WOW! Thanks Randall... you must do homework! Very informative but scary news for the Gulf. Thinking about the "root cause" of this disaster and the Challenger comes to mind. Can't fix that one either...

Someday we may learn...

How about a giant cross-linked copolymer filled tube, like a giant tampon,inserted into the pipe and allowed to expand when exposed to the oil stream?(string optional).

Yup, the dwarves in the mines of Moria have made sure that all oil wells are connected with each other. This is good, because if all the wells other than Deep Horizon can increase their suction by about 10%, this will suck up all of the flow now leaking into the Gulf of Mexico. It just boggles my mind that no one seems to be working on this concept....

Better jump onto this right away--Obama, Markey, BP, USCG, and whoever.

I have been wondering why BP is our link for the live feed. With so many deep sea science, exploration, and salvage companies out there surely there should be ROV's all around the area to confirm or disprove any other leaks. In fact there may be alot more going on down there than we'll ever know, but we can be sure of the fact that we don't have them.

don't forget the big oil companies have controlling interests in major news networks. even if someone sneaked in a private ROV, and managed to take videos of the *real* volume of oil being spewed into the sea, he'd have no chance of showing it to the public at large.