[kittycatonline.com]

Agreed. I've been wondering myself how they can get the heavy mud to overcome the massive force and pressure of the oil gushing out of the pipeline. I can't visualize how that will work.

Well, the part I cant grasp is, if they can cram a hose into the hole to pump in mud, can't they instead let the oil flow up through the same hose?

[Williams]

Watching the plume earlier, it really seemed to come from such a clear point it’s hard to believe a pipe couldn’t be positioned over it to take up more of the flow but apparently it couldn’t.

As for the mud stopping the flow, they said they had to inject it downward with enough force to stop the oil flow.

I’m not any expert but it sure looks like plumes are forcefully coming through the mud. Could it be natural gas and not oil?

[SueRae]

see post 76 for a good pictorial of what the structure looks like and the topkill effort. They are pumping mud and eventually cement from well below the leaking pipe. You just have to hope that the integrity of the existing structure is still okay.

[Windflier]

...if they can cram a hose into the hole to pump in mud, can't they instead let the oil flow up through the same hose?

You'd have to be able to clamp that hose onto the pipe in such a way that no oil escaped through the connecting point. It would be worse than having a loose garden hose connection.