Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico - Historic Disaster

[ShadeTreeMech]

Originally Posted by tasdrouille

When bean counters pull the strings, designs mostly work instead of never fail...

Isn't that the truth.

I understand having to do the right thing despite public opinion against it. When I mentioned to my mom years ago that my wife could reliably get 2 mpg more in my Sentra than I could, she thought I was silly for keeping such close track of my economy.

[wagonman76]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

I am in no way any authority on this disaster, but I don't see why they did not just build a containment vessel of plastic sheeting, say 500 feet in diameter and the 5000 feet in length necessary.

Sections of a few hundred feet of a circle of 500 feet in diameter, with some re bar at the bottom and something to provide a slight amount of buoyancy at the top. Connect them as you drop them into the area of the leak.

Once you have the leak isolated then you can recover the oil at the top with pumps and barges.

Of course had that been done, then the exact amount of the leak would be known.

It seems like the priority to plug the leak was short sighted, and the cutting of the 21 inch pipe just made the outflow significantly larger.

Not sure why they just didn't try to crush the pipe to minimize the leak, and use the plastic containment vessel to capture and recover the oil.

Not sure of the currents of other reasons why this idea would not work, but I haven't heard any to this point.

regards
Mech

I had wondered from the beginning why they couldn't just do this: Put in place larger piping which means less pressure. Bring it up to the surface and start loading up oil tankers or barges or whatever and take it to where they normally take the oil. Keep them coming one right after the other. Sure you're gonna spill some in between but it's a heck of a lot better than just letting it ALL spill. Meanwhile they can work on their other more permanent solutions.

[Piwoslaw]

US to issue order for new Gulf oil drilling ban

[Piwoslaw]

BP refits Gulf of Mexico oil cap after accident

Some of the oil is being caught and pumped to a ship, but only 15000 barrels per day, which is 25%-50% of the total oil gushing out.
Here is a nice animation showing the history of BP's efforts to stop the spill.

[Shagger]

I have in mind a device to cap the pipe as well. Devise a vertical pipe with an open valve on top and a closed valve on the side, like a "T" on its side.


Lower the sideways "T" onto the leaking well head pipe with the top valve open but the side valve closed. Weld it into place. Attach pipes to connectors on the closed side valve of the "T". Run the pipes into waiting tankers. Open the closed side valve of the "T". Now close the top valve of the "T".

I realize its simplistic and they are a mile down and pressures are enormous, but come on, something similar can't be attached?

[Christ]

No, because it might work.

Ironically, gas prices have gone down in my area since this BS all started happening... they've just now started going back up, since the "free oil" that's leaking has apparently started to be cap'd.

[dremd]

Shagger, my understanding of why a method similar to what you are proposing is not being implimented is because of the the fear that the subsea floor pipe which is believed to be damaged could rupture and send oil out in many many more places. I am however by all means no expert.

[Shagger]

Those relief wells can't come soon enough. As a child we sailed on the Gulf many times and I have a deep and abiding love of the sea and all her creatures. It sickens me and breaks my heart to hear of the awful amount of oil spilling into the Gulf. I realize that we need oil in the USA, but after watching the 60 minutes article of all the corners that BP and Transocean cut to save $$$ it makes me very angry! I don't mind capitalism in the slightest, it is what has made our country great! But you cannot compromise safety for $$$. Especially if the amount of money needed for safety would have been BILLIONS less than the clean up efforts CURRENT costs, let alone the final tally. I am sure the fishermen will see a pittance of the true costs to them and probably only after a decade or two, similar to the Exxon Valdez.

Not to get too political, but its funny how you don't hear much 'Drill baby, Drill!' talk these days...

[dremd]

Hey Shagger, What 60 minutes episode? I'd like to see it.

And BTW: the Drill baby drill folks are out in force here (because they are out of work), but their new slogan here is "Drill here, Drill NOW, Pay Less".

[ShadeTreeMech]

Originally Posted by dremd

Hey Shagger, What 60 minutes episode? I'd like to see it.

And BTW: the Drill baby drill folks are out in force here (because they are out of work), but their new slogan here is "Drill here, Drill NOW, Pay Less".

I found the link for the video on cbs's website

Blowout: The Deepwater Horizon Disaster - 60 Minutes - CBS News