Any ideas on how to fix oil 'leak'

This is a thread dedicated to ideas on how to fix the oil 'leak/spill'. I encourage you to only submit possible fixes, not radical or knowing unworkable ideas.

I will start. I am not smart as this type of field of science, so I will just ask someone who knows better if it could work.

Use dry ice and cap the entire 'leak'.

The primary environmental residue of dry ice blasting is the sublimed CO2, thus making it a useful technique where residues from other blasting techniques are undesirable.

the dry ice formed causes the water to freeze, forming an ice plug, allowing them to do repairs without turning off the water mains.

Could you freeze the pipe/oil/water?

en.wikipedia.org...

[edit on 5/24/10 by Misoir]

Don't know how to fix it,but why can't they clamp it shut?Big pair of pliers clamp it down.
Thats if course the golf balls and rubber tick won't do it...........lol

Use thermite.

It burns underwater and creates liquid iron in the process.

The hole could be sealed in parts. Each part that is in the process of being sealed would have a small metal plate behind it that would direct the oil away so that it doesn't ignite. The iron will adhere to the edges of the hole in the process.

Bury it.

Boatloads of dirt and rock.

Originally posted by Chakotay
Bury it.

Boatloads of dirt and rock.

Kinda along my lines of thinking except..

Use concrete.

Concrete can be made to harden within minutes under water. (Hydraulic Cement )

Bury the entire puncture.

Why don't you try submitting your ideas to the suggestions for BP?

Originally posted by Misoir
Why don't you try submitting your ideas to the suggestions for BP?

do you think they would listen? i think there is something fishy about this oil spill. does anybody know what caused the explosion to begin with?

reply to post by Misoir


My solution would be to create a pipe thats just a few inches smaller than the diameter of the oil pipeline now this pipe is actually two pipes one inside another and have the outer pipe be made of some flexible material that can hold air or hydrolic pressure, insert it into the leak as far as you can get it in and then inflate the pipe and extract as much as you can till the well runs dry then pull pipe out cover everything over with cement and get the heck out of dodge.

Originally posted by Aliensdoexist
reply to post by Misoir

 

My solution would be to create a pipe thats just a few inches smaller than the diameter of the oil pipeline now this pipe is actually two pipes one inside another and have the outer pipe be made of some flexible material that can hold air or hydrolic pressure, insert it into the leak as far as you can get it in and then inflate the pipe and extract as much as you can till the well runs dry then pull pipe out cover everything over with cement and get the heck out of dodge.

yes, i had a similar idea, it would be so simple. if we can drill that far down, we can insert a pipe into the hole, and for a seal, i would put inflatable rings of rubber or some such, so the pipe is lowered over the hole, and the inflatable rings are triggered, and fill up/conform to the sides providing a tight seal. then start loading the oil up.

i too am suspicious of this. people don't realize how much damage this is causing. doesn't revelation mention something about all the ocean water becoming poisoned? just a thought.

btw, i live in florida.

reply to post by Misoir


Kevin Costner's brother is a scientist. They have a good idea and a decent way to start the cleanup (Not a joke) They even have working machines for proof! WHY are we not doing this with haste? Please watch this. Its less than 2 minutes. Spread the word!!!

www.youtube.com...

I have an all NATURAL idea to clean up the oil. No one will listen to me.

It's so simple, yet I have seen NO ONE mention it.
Beeswax! Yes Beeswax could be used to clean up the oil.

Beeswax can be turned into a PRP (Petroleum Remediation Product). It's completely natural, non-hazardous, non-toxic, and biodegradable. And get this...It's VERY simple to make. Melt down beeswax, shoot it through an atomizing sprayer, let it fall about ten feet. It will dry into small hollow balls that resemble a very fine powder. Take that powder sprinkle it on the oil. It will attract the hydrocarbons. Then microbes will eat it.

PRP was developed by NASA. Why hasn't BP or our so called Government tried it? Most of you here probably know the answer to that one.

well if it is in a ravine uderwater why not use demolition charges to close ravine upon it self or b drop a decommissioned aircraft carrier on top of it loaded with hydraulic cement with reactor removed of coarse that much weight on top of it should seal it up long enough for a permanent fix can be applied

a lot of these ideas don't take into account the fact that the pressure at the leak is almost 2200psi. Gravity pressure at surface is less then 15psi.

How are you going to make hallow balls of beeswax and ice plugs at 2200psi? You can't. Its hard enough to keep concrete together at that depth.

Also, its almost 50% natural gas, not just oil leaking, which changes the physics and dynamics of the leak as well. If this was an easy job, it would've been solved already.

reply to post by SlasherOfVeils


It wouldn't be used under the water.
As I stated... It would be used for cleanup, not a plug.

[edit on 25-5-2010 by HrdCorHillbilly]

A specially made blowout preventer needs to be tooled to stop the leak.

A special sleeve will need to be wrapped around the 12" diameter pipe first. The sleeve will need to be able to be crushed by a newly designed blowout preventer which is made in two halves that will swing together later and look and work just like a regular blowout preventer.

Then the two halves of the newly designed blowout preventer will be hinged together around the sleeve which will contain any leaks when the sleave is crushed by the pressure exerted as the newly designed blowout preventer hinges tight around the sleeve and the 12" diameter pipe without crushing the pipe.

Once the two halves of the specially designed blowout preventer are brought together as close as possible, then giant screws will be turned to draw the two halves completely together to become very tight around the 12" diameter pipe.

Once the blowout preventer is successfully secured to the 12" diameter pipe, the valves can then be closed on the blowout preventer and it will shut off the flow of oil and gas from the pipe. Then a pipe can be attached to the other end of the blowout preventer and the oil and gas can be recovered as it normally is.

That is how it will have to be done.

Here are pictures and information about typical blowout preventers.
www.google.com...

Now, a new blowout preventer needs to be tooled in two halves that will hinge together and then be tightened around the pipe with a sleeve to stop the leaks between the pipe and the blowout preventer.

The pressure from the oil and gas escaping the pipe is to much for any other method.

The blowout preventer halves may need to have special flanges that will extend outwards parallel to the ocean floor that can be encased in concrete around the area of the pipe. Concrete may need to be put onto these flanges in order to hold the blowout preventer down some; so it doesn't come loose from the pipe after the valves are closed on the blowout preventer.

Some of the ocean floor material around the 12" pipe will probably have to be removed in order to fit the blow out preventer onto the pipe and have the concrete base poured to help hold the blowout preventer down.

[edit on 25-5-2010 by RussianScientists]

Well apparently its pumping out at around 20,000 psi, not sure if that's correct, but it'll take more than a bit of cork to plug that bad boy!

Only thing I can think of is that we seal the leak in a pipeline, run that to the surface and try to store it, even if it means running the pipe to the mainland. I think the only way to avoid poisoning our own ocean is to create literally an 'oil ocean' somewhere pitted and deserted on the mainland.

Bit of an out there and extreme idea, but i can't think of any viable ways to seal something of such a high pressure..

source: pressure theory

edit: adding source for psi.

[edit on 25/5/10 by Longy4eva]

reply to post by Longy4eva


Thats kinda what i am thinking. why dont they take some of those giant pipes like the ones they have for diversinary tunnels at hoover (53ft diameter) and make a pipe that goes up to the surface, doesnt really cap it off, but will stop the spill into the ocean. and then we can tap into the top.

How about sending hundreds of oil tankers to pump the oil out?

www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com...

the bp site to submit a suggestion to stop the bp oil spill leak. I'm submitting one there.

Make oil worth more and everybody will rush to soak it up. Guys in rowboats will be squeezing it out of sponges.