BP flooded with thousands of ideas on how to stop oil spill
Drilling and well-control experts aren’t the only ones with ideas about how to resolve the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. BP PLC, operator of the runaway Macondo well, reports it received some 40,000 ideas on the evolving situation since the Apr. 20 deepwater blowout.
“A lot of people have had some really good ideas,” Kent Wells, BP senior vice-president of exploration and production, said during a June 7 technical briefing in Houston. Some ideas “were bang on” he said, adding they suggested similar strategies as the ones already being developed by industry experts and federal scientists.
Some ideas were good but would not work in 5,000 ft of water, he said, adding other ideas were very creative and held potential, but they would have taken too long. Although none of the ideas from the public yet have proven to be game changers providing instant answers, BP found them to be useful.
“They have helped us rethink things, Wells said. “They’ve helped us tweak things.”
Some ideas, such as using explosives, were impractical, Wells said. BP received ideas on how to stop the flow as well as suggestions for collection systems and how to prevent the formation of gas hydrates.
“A lot of people have had some really good ideas,” Kent Wells, BP senior vice-president of exploration and production, said during a June 7 technical briefing in Houston. Some ideas “were bang on” he said, adding they suggested similar strategies as the ones already being developed by industry experts and federal scientists.
Some ideas were good but would not work in 5,000 ft of water, he said, adding other ideas were very creative and held potential, but they would have taken too long. Although none of the ideas from the public yet have proven to be game changers providing instant answers, BP found them to be useful.
“They have helped us rethink things, Wells said. “They’ve helped us tweak things.”
Some ideas, such as using explosives, were impractical, Wells said. BP received ideas on how to stop the flow as well as suggestions for collection systems and how to prevent the formation of gas hydrates.
Labels: blowout, BP, Gulf of Mexico, ideas, Macondo well, oil spill
posted by Paula Dittrick, OGJ Senior Staff Writer at
5:02 AM
21 Comments:
I think BP should use magnetic force to stop this spill. The earth is a big magnet. Why not use this powerful force to stop this problem.
The answer may be a 2 million pound 17.5" diameter- very long- tapered rod that is very narrow at the bottom end can be inserted into the BOP/wellhead to reduce the flow by 80 to 90% and then allow mud and concrete to complete the topkill.
A modified concrete filled utility pole might be reasonable to start with. Lower by tanker cables from above and aligned with robots.
The BOP should be x-rayed/ultra soounded first to assure the blow out has not compromised the 18.5" diameter void through the BOP. If so that should be cleared first.
I'm confident the idea would work: I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
PARALLEL VERTICAL UNDERWATER WELL/CHARGE TO STOP HORIZON LEAK: A carefully controlled well drilled parallel and vertical to, and a short distance from, the subject leak well, yet far enough away to allow drilling of the well to occur without oil from the leaking well to seep into this new Explosives Charge Well. Yet this new well would need to be close enough to affect the subject leak well with and explosive charge. The conventional underwater explosive charge could be set off, say 2/3 to 1/2 the way down. If set off lower, say 2/3 the way down, a chance to set off another charge could shortly follow say 1/2 the way down. Engineers/geologists familiar with the well could carefully make the decisions. It would bring soil, rock and otherwise heavy/large movement of substantial earth onto the subject leak eliminating the current well/pipe, preventing oil from passing through the current well and/or pipe. The existing pipe and passage will be simply crushed inward by substantial earth movement, at perhaps many levels near the lowest points that are practical to place the charge. In effect both wells ultimately will be crushed inward at a point of depth somewhat well above the levels that the oil sits. The distance we can surmise of the beginning of drilling of this new explosives well, can be say 8 feet (or other distance) from the subject well, though geologists and engineers at the site, who are familiar with the current well can decide, along with the best explosives experts, to make sure the subject leak well is crushed in at as many levels as possible. Depth of the explosives charge well also to be carefully determined by all including geologists on site familiar with the Horizon well. Army corps and industry have experts, including those on site have access to new suitable rig and drill, equipment, expertise, materials. Some sensible improvising of placement of the conventional underwater explosives will be needed by explosives experts, with army corps overseeing effort. Steve from Florida
realizing that the well itself if a very expensive investment it's got to be getting close to the time when the cleanup cost warrants drilling a new well.
how about firing a few torpedoes into the ground around it to collapse it and just drill another.
not sure how deep the hole goes before it widens out into "the dome" i think they call it. but anything more than a few hundred meters should be enough mass to overcome the upward pressure. i doubt anything else man made will be able to do it.
steverooni
Make a strong air bladder to some considerable length. 100 metres or more.
Insert over a flexible air hose (both ends of bladder sealed) that can be pushed through the oil to a great depth 1/4 mile or so and then inflate. Back fill with concrete.
Liquid Hydrogen,pumped in at very high pressure,below the concrete top kill should create a plug in the pipe by flash freezing the concrete,water and the oil. it may stop or even slow down the leak.Engineering would have to come up some way to to deliver it fast and with pleanty of pressure to over come the PSI that the the leak is producing.My brother in law and I discussed this plan and we think that it has potential.
"Clean up Equipment",ship should be made with large vacuming or suction devices to pick up the oil on the surface and be placed into large tanks or hold in/on the ship,once it separates and go to the top then the sea water can be pumped back out.I think that this would work faster in getting the oil out of the water than just containing it.For example the railroads use a large centrifical blower to clear deep snow. Air ports use an very large snow blowing device to clear their runways.It may take engineering to do some modification to their ships,but his is the kind of equipment needed to pick this oil up faster,because the oil comming out of the pipe is winning the race. 2.Barges should also be fitted with wider vacuming attachments,and even put on cranes to extend reach to get up into the marshes to get the oil in the shallows...Danny
BP simple-2in drill pipe long enough to reach reservoir with very strong airbag attached to the end, when airbag deploys leak stops, engineers are embarrassed, everyone's happy
I think somehow cutting the GUSH off from underground would be the best option (I unfortunately am unable to find a map of the underground pipe pumping the oil nor am I able to find a mapped location of the source of the oil to use as an overlay over the region). In addition, massive activated charcoal pads or gigantic make shift water filters should be constructed and used to help pull out and absorb the chemical toxins currently present in the water. Activated charcoal is already used to clean home pond water, drinking water and streams that have been exposed to chemicals... Nets normally used to rope off large areas underwater could be used in the construction of such a filter.
***In addition I'm tired of the media focusing on who to blame and get money from rather than how to solve the problem! Maybe when all the worlds oceans are black and all the sea creatures are dead they will start focusing their attention on the ACTUAL problem!***
BP simple-2in drill pipe long enough to reach reservoir with very strong airbag attached to the end, when airbag deploys leak stops, engineers are embarrassed, everyone's happy
BP’s containment dome big or small has the same design issues. Here are a few of the issues of the design issue. Gas from the well floats on top of the oil from the well. Gas from the well expands as it is drawn to the service. They are trying to draw the oil from the top of the containment dome. This causes a dramatic reduction in the amount of oil that can be pulled from the containment dome for processing. That is why the fire you see from the processing ship is so large. Now look at this youtube link and you will see it addresses these issues. http://www.youtube.com/user/CajonLiving#p/a/u/0/Kc6qkMOEEMw if the link doesn’t work go to cajonLiving channel on youtube and play the “Oil slick scatters threats across Gulf Coast skimmer containment “video. The containment dome in the video vents gas out the top to reduce the amount of gas being pulled from the containment dome.
B.P.- I plaster swimming pools here in S.W Florida and I have to stop groundwater from relief holes in the bottom of swimming pools everyday. Pressure makes diamonds, and also sets up cement. First fill pipe with large sponges to slow the flow, then use dissolvable bags filled with hydraulic cement, It is a high early cement( meaning sets up quickly) Made with white portland. Set the ass end of the robot thingy over for approx ten minutes till bags dissolve and portland sets up. How hard is that. Seems to me you guys are too concerned with saving the oil than plugging the damn thing, come on enough is enough.
BP simple-2in drill pipe long enough to reach reservoir with very strong airbag attached to the end, when airbag deploys leak stops, engineers are embarrassed, everyone's happy
BP simple-2in drill pipe long enough to reach reservoir with very strong airbag attached to the end, when airbag deploys leak stops, engineers are embarrassed, everyone's happy
The oil is gushing out of a pipe a short distance, maybe inches from a bolted on flange. Use the robots to remove the flange and install valve head. This is done by inserting one bolt with the valvehead completely offset and open. then the valve head is swiveled into position. The oil wil pass through the open valve until the remaining bolts cxan be inserted and tightened. Then close the valve. This is basic oil well mechanics. Don't say this valve does not exist. In this situation the resorces of the U.S. and private industry should build it very quickly. For crying out loud there is a pipe fitting right there just below the leak!! Put a valve on it!! Call me with any questions. Tonyrg60@aol.com
My idea won't stop the spill but contain it until the well can be capped.
Simply lower a large diameter steel pipe (6 foot diameter?) over the blow-out and pump off the oil in the pipe when it reaches the surface.
Maybe if they pinched off the end of the pipe. Like making the round end flat together. Then possibly welding the pinched end. Kind of like kinking a hose. Or maybe even getting a pipe bigger then the one leaking slide it over.. bolt it in or seal it and then they still save some oil by redirecting it into some other tank. Maybe stretching a hose over the end of the leaking pipe and leading it to the surface. Something. like that slighty more modified then my wording.
Make extremely large very thick balloons and place over leak, replace as necessary.
Angioplast. Pump mud into a heavy rubber bladder inserted into riser. Stop it cold and cap.
ok what needs to be done to stop the leak and the finger-pointing is to create a spider-web like system of heavy bars over the hole, then put a large inflatable bag under the web system (which is there to hold the bag in the hole), inflate it, then keep adding to the web system until the bag reaches enough pressure to seal the leak
Lower underwater explosive charge into well, lower it to about the middle of the well hole. The charge will not have to be a big charge, just enough to collapse the well, but not enough to blow the pressure out the top of the hole. This will cave in the well at a lower depth, so not to make the hole bigger.This should stop the flow of oil.The underwater pressure should help to collapse the hole.
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