Gulf coast oil spill

[HungLikeJesus]

I just received an e-mail from the agency for which I work, seeking suggestions for sub-surface containment, surface containment, shoreline cleanup and remediation, safety improvements, and flow stoppage of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. These suggestions will be vetted and passed up to senior leadership for "accelerated consideration," if appropriate.

So if any one here has any real suggestions I would be glad to pass them on. Here is our chance to do more than just complain about the problem.

[classicman]

Oil and gas may be leaking from the seabed surrounding the BP Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico, Senator Bill Nelson of Florida told Andrea Mitchell today on MSNBC. Nelson, one of the most informed and diligent Congressmen on the BP gulf oil spill issue, has received reports of leaks in the well, located in the Mississippi Canyon sector. This is potentially huge and devastating news.

If Nelson is correct in that assertion, and he is smart enough to not make such assertions lightly, so I think they must be taken at face value, it means the well casing and well bore are compromised and the gig is up on containment pending a completely effective attempt to seal the well from the bottom via successful “relief wells”. In fact, I have confirmed with Senator Nelson’s office that they are fully aware of the breaking news and significance of what the Senator said to Andrea Mitchell.

Furthermore, contrary to the happy talk propounded by BP, the Obama Administration and the press, the likely success of the “relief well” effort on the first try in August is nowhere near a certainty; and certainly nowhere near the certainty it is being painted as.

Ugh

[Shawnee123]

Originally Posted by HungLikeJesus

So if any one here has any real suggestions I would be glad to pass them on. Here is our chance to do more than just complain about the problem.

:cricketsmilie:

[Spexxvet]

Furthermore, contrary to the happy talk propounded by BP, the Obama Administration and the press

Bullshit. There's no "happy talk" coming from the Obama administration or the press.

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by glatt

According to Wikipedia, a barrel of oil is 42 gallons or about 159 liters. Other liquids measured in barrels are 55 gallons, but oil is 42.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrel#For_storage_of_oil

That sounds like a good reason to use gallons (or liters) when mentioning it in the news. We're not talking about the wholesale market; we're talking about liquid dumping into the sea. Best to use a measurement that is more commonly understood. However many people know the 55 gallon number, I would guess that fewer know the special case for oil.

I don't care how many barrels BP won't be able to sell; I care how many gallons are being spewed into the sea.

[tw]

If the house special is blackfish, would you order it?

[Shawnee123]

Yes, I would order it. I would order it to go wash all the damn oil off itself.

[Undertoad]

I'm not racist. In fact some of my best friends are blackfish.

[HungLikeJesus]

I just ate a Wendy's double baconator combo with french fries; a little crude oil-marinated blackfish is nothing compared to that.

[classicman]

What if it started as a whitefich and turned black because of the oil?

[tw]

Critical to a good meal is the presentation. The chef comes out. Throws a match on the entre. Flames cascade high above the pan as the flavoring burns off. They baked this way 20 years ago in Alaska - due to a similar environment.

[Shawnee123]

HLJ...you're sure getting a lot of suggestions from all these guys who usually don't have much to say about anything!

Figures.

[HungLikeJesus]

This is where we realize that none of us know as much as we think we do.

Last night I spent about half-an-hour discussing this with a co-worker (another engineer). We came up with lots of ideas, but nothing that we could send to the top of the Department of Energy.

Does anyone else have any real suggestions?

[Spexxvet]

Cover the end of the pipe with a giant hose and pump all the oil coming out of the pipe into tankers.

[glatt]

Heat shrink tubing. You get some fat-ass tubing and slip it over the whole mess, then you shoot hot water at it until it shrinks and seals everything up.

No? Tubing is too weak? How about bolting a second blowout preventer on top of the first one, and then closing the valves on it?

No? Methane ice will clog it up right away? Um. how about making a machine that will clamp securely onto the first blowout preventer and then will use hydraulic pistons to jam a plug right into the end of the pipe? Kind of like an old fashioned beer bottle stopper on a hinge, except with hydraulic pistons or screws on the sides to force it shut.

Basically, I don't know jack about how much pressure you are fighting and how the ice forms, but there are lots of different random ideas I could come up with.

How about a giant angioplasty balloon that you can stick into the pipe and then clamp it in place and start to inflate it with heavy mud or something?