BP Lowers Dome in Effort to Catch Oil

The Wall Street Journal ^ | May 7, 2010 | Corey Dade and Brian Baskin

[myknowledge]

BURAS, La.—BP PLC has started to lower the cofferdam containment dome that it hopes will capture oil leaking from a well at the seabed in the Gulf of Mexico and prevent it reaching the surface, a spokesman for the company said Friday.

It will take some time for the device to reach the bottom and be connected to a vessel on the surface that will store the leaking oil, but BP hopes to have it up and running by Monday, he said. "It has never been done before at these depths," he added.

BP technicians are also investigating the possibility of capping the leaking well by injecting heavy fluids directly into the top of the blowout preventer that sits on top of the well, the spokesman said. It isn't certain BP will go ahead with this technique, which has also never been attempted in such deep water, he said.

BP is also drilling a relief well, which should eventually halt the flow of oil from the seabed, a process that could take three months.

[myknowledge]

Oil is kicked up in the wake of a boat in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday.

Open-heart surgery with robot submersibles at 5000ft (1524m) depths in pitch darkness.

[throwback]

It's so far down, seems like it will be a bit like a carnival game trying to drop this thing like a ring around the top of a milk bottle. Hope it works. No thanks to the worthless, know nothing, government bureaucrats.

[a real Sheila]

I hope and pray that it works, but I have a feeling that whether it works or not, we will be TOLD that it is WORKING! (sort of like the stimulus)

[norraad]

"Gosh, . . you know, I feel it's working already!"

[Funee Kat]

Can we make one of those and put it over the Capital Building?

[GonzoGOP]

Can we make one of those and put it over the Capital Building?

Look isn't the oil spill enough damage to the ocean. Now you want to throw in Pelosi.

[norraad]

So Curly's workin' the bar, he says," Hey Moe, Hey Larry, look it!"

In walks a Frenchman with a parrot on his shoulder.

"Wow," says Curly, "Where did you get that?

"In Paris," says the parrot, "They got millions of'um"

So Frenchy starts moaning on and on about a blow out under the water . . . .

Curly says, "Turn off the sprinklers Toots, . .look, you want oil in the Tankers, Right?

"Well take an old tanker nobody wants, place thermite and shaped charges in a parallel pizza shape on the bottom of the hull and the bottom of the tanks, with 6 or 8 slices inward towards the center, personally , I'd do 6, I can't eat 8 slices , n'yuk, n'yuk.

"Open all the manifolds to a feederline up to a newer tanker on the surface.

"Sink the old one down over the hole & blow the charges in a precisely timed center out fashion like 9/11 & OK.

"If it doesn't stop the flow at least it's neatly contained & manageable, right?

The Frenchman gave Curly the parrot and ran out.

"Hey Moe, Hey Larry , Look it! says Curly