Bammy already tried that with a hammer and large cork.
Posted on 06/02/2010 8:14:07 AM PDT by dps.inspect
I think their first idea is the best one. That oil containment box just wasn’t nearly big enough. It will need to be something huge. They should take a very large ship or barge, cut a hole in the bottom and sink it over the top of the well head/BOP.
Instead of talking to people like you, they are talking to people like Cameron (director of Avatar) and letting lawyers make the decisions.
Sigh.
BP's said all along that the Top Kill, or this LMRP, are only temporary solutions until the relief wells are finished and they can permanently cement the well. It's already a write-off.
I don’t think it can be plugged. Too much pressure. The challenge is the depth of water, water pressure, psi of the oil flowing from the pipe, flammable material, and temperature.
I think a giant turkey baster and some duct tape should do it...
Boots and Coots (sold to Halliburton) would have been marvelous on this blow out. I guess in a sense, since they are still with us in the person of Pat (no nickname) Campbell. He learned from the best. See this profile of him in the British press a week ago.
I found interesting your comment about the lawyers in light of the statement made by Campbell in the linked article:
“These days, Campbell says that disaster relief has become a more collegiate affair. He also told The New York Times that helping BP cap Deepwater Horizon involves dealing with meddling managers and politicians. ‘Today things are done by committees. The executive management gets involved. They may or may not have any technical competence.’ That can make things complicated, he said, but ‘it generally works out fine’.”
It is long past time for the lawyers, managers, and politicians to get out of the way and let real men go to work. (No sexism intended.)
Gwjack
I have been screaming the same thing since it started. Most people are unaware that to place something over a pipe that is flowing requires that the flow be allowed to continue (think of how hard it is to screw on a nozzle on a flowing garden hose). A simple fix would be to lower in an valve / fitting assembly with the valve wide open. After attaching to the pipe simply close the valve.
I am not familar with the blow out assembly device they install but I would think that something along the same line could be inserted over the pipe and engaged. Slip a box over the pipe while leaving some length of pipe sticking out the end to install the above mentioned solution, seal the openings of the box and then engage some sort of mechanism to crimp or seal the pipe inside the box. It may not completely stop the flow but would reduce it dramatically...
But then I am just a simple Civil Engineer, and don’t work 5,000 feet below the surface where nothing is simple, and I am sure that some one working for BP or adivising them has already thought this up...
Did you see that “expert” Engineering prodigy who recommended inflating tires in the well bore? Good luck with that one.
People don’t realize what a big deal 15,000 PSI is. This is an enormous amount of pressure. Water pressure a mile down is about 2400 PSI. Well head pressure has been reported at 15,000 PSI. They killed the 1979 PeMex blowout by pumping in lead shot. Lead shot that was 2 inches in diameter. Lead shot won’t sink in this well, the flow is too fast.
They need to get some ability to choke off the flow, and that means building something that can contain the pressure. Hence cutting off the riser pipe to get it out of the way. Should have done that weeks ago, but when you’re working under 0bama’s microscope, fearing criminal prosecution for whatever you try, you cannot work.
First rule in FEMA Incident (disaster) Management is to always clear everything you do through your lawyers. They beat this in to your heads at the training I am required to attend.
The saw seems to be jammed from the weight of the riser above it pinching it in the kerf. Can they wrap a shaped charge around it just above where the want to cut it off clean and shear that off and get it out of the way?
In general you are correct but there are a couple other factors.
First you have to remove the debris from the pipe.
Next, you have to cut the pipe off to a fairly level position
Third, you have to contend with a non-round pipe.
Fourth, during the insert, you will have a smaller pipe attempting to deal with a large volume. This means you will need to have high velocity suction already going on the “relief pipe”.
Fifth, when the pipe is inserted, you will need to be able to exert many tons of pressure to force the pipe into the existing configuration.
Sixth, you will then need to form a seal. Most likely it will need to be a high pressure seal.
Lastly, you will need to weld the relief pipe in place.
So I’m thinking the relief pipe needs to be a very strong inner steel pipe able to withstand explosive pressure. Then put a series of rings of explosives around the steel pipe. These should be “pushing” explosives not bursting explosives (i.e. low velocity). Then put he whole assembly inside of a copper pipe. The idea being that if you push 20 to 40 feet of this configuration into the well, then pop the explosives, the copper will push against the inside of the well making a seal with the exiting pipe. Later, robotic welders can weld a collar to the new pipe and weld it to the existing pipe. This should provide a solid seal
Bammy already tried that with a hammer and large cork.
Hi shotgun —
I wanted to respond quickly to let you know that I did “hear” you. I will respond more after composing my thoughts, and deciding how much to reveal about me. What you write is a truly unfortunate part of our society/culture. It is sad. It seems that the only people “trained” to count the cost, and make firm decisions, regardless of the consequences, are usually found within our military. They make decisions, SATURATED WITH RISK, and stand by them. I admire those who are not too timid to make a decision and implement it. But, I also respect the need for protecting oneself from those in the peanut gallery.
Thank you for your comment.
More later,
Gwjack
The Texas Land Office and Texas Water Commission successfully used ‘oil eating’ microbes to clean up large oil spills in just weeks.
Microbes hunt down and eat the toxic oil and leave only a biodegradable waste that is non-toxic to humans and marine life.
Marshland and beaches were pristine again in just weeks-—not years like the Exxon Valdez spill.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VfypUzx1tI&feature=youtube_gdata
There is no way BP's going to give up on that huge reservoir of oil still in the ground.
I'm sure the relief well(s) will work (and be very productive too), but nobody wants to wait until August to stop the gusher. They'll have to wait, because non of this stuff is going to work. The well casing just isn't up to the job of withstanding the pressure difference between 2,400 and 15,000 lbs/inch^2.
I don't know if that's because it's substandard or if the pressure of the oil and gas was way more than expected.
As for the oil in the water, it would be great if somebody found a way to extract it from the seawater and sell it. Anybody can do it under the rules of salvage....it doesn't belong to BP anymore. In fact, if Obama has his way, there won't be a BP when this is over.
I’m surprised it took this long for someone to come up with that photoshop! LOL!
Slip a box over the pipe while leaving some length of pipe sticking out the end to install the above mentioned solution,
How does this differ from the dome thingie they've already tried?
Taxcontrol:
Great comments, in my earlier days I was a union Steamfitter Welder (yes I said union).
Another pressure reducing option (and the main obstacle is reducing the internal pressure at the work zone along with the voulme of the flow) would be to install a series of “hot tap” relief valves along the pipe. For those unfamilar with that technology, essentially placing a saddle assembly on the exterior of the pipe that has a valve bolted to it. You then drill through the valve in to the flowing pipe creating a diversion for the fluid (oil in this case) to be released and reducing the pressure and flow in the remaining end of the pipe. The relief valves can then be closed after dealing with the open end of the pipe.
As for “trueing up” the out of round pipe, I don’t see that as critical to the solution I offered up but for your scenario I could see it.
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