Posted on 06/02/2010 3:31:54 AM PDT by Scanian
BP's engineers can't stop the gushing oil spill, but a young genius from Long Island says she found the solution in less time than it takes most people to finish a crossword puzzle.
Since the "top kill," "junk shot" and "top hat" techniques failed to end the environmental nightmare, Alia Sabur -- who started her engineering Ph.D. at age 14 -- is pushing for a more radical idea.
The Northport native, who started reading before she could walk and who at 18 broke a 300-year-old record to become the youngest-ever college professor, proposes surrounding a pipe with deflated automobile tires, inserting it into the leaking riser, and then inflating the wheels to form a seal.
She calls the plan the "seabed retread."
"It's not completely out there, considering that tires are used for everything and they're expected to withstand a lot," Sabur, 21, told The Post.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
I got a better idea........these deep sea subs have robot arms eqipped with end effectors( the claws on the end of the arms ) have 4 end effectors made...sub goes down, first end effector wraps around the pipe and cuts it off clean and square...second one wraps around pipe and cuts threads on the exterior of the pipe..sub surfaces, and the next 2 end effectors are installed...sub goes down with a valve on one of the end effectors, and screws valve onto pipe, second end effector closes valve....all done
On both ends of the, several feet thick, plug would be a heavy plate steel washer.
Running through the center would be a large threaded rod.
( acme or buttress thread to prevent stripping under pressure) Like the threads on a bench vice ).
A large nut would be fixed solidly to the bottom plate, but the upper plate would would be topped with a nut that could be tightened from above to squeese the plates togther and expand the rubber plug to seal the casing enough to cement it shut.
I think that would work.
Well I'm not a wiz kid but here's my idea. Put a big friggin clamp on the pipe like a you would a tourniquet to stop a major blood vessel gushing.
Was she singularly focused on the phd? I imagine the people you know who got theirs started when, in their mid 20’s? Already grown up.
Even she admits she’s not sure it would work, but why is this any different than all the other ideas people are floating? It’s think outside the box time. Sheesh!
http://www.titanic-titanic.com/big_piece.shtml
Those pieces of the Titanic’s hull were lifted with diesel filled lift bags.
I am less impressed by credentials than I am by reality. Maybe she can stuff her diploma down the pipe, and that will stop it up.
BTW, I started my engineering degree when I was 18, like a normal person. I finished it ten years later, as the Worlds Oldest Living Undergraduate.
Something like the airbags that are used on the suspension on 18 wheelers? Like you say, though ,getting them in the well, and then inflating them would be a problem.
Bump!
A fire hose, maybe!
The tires would have to be inflated to a pressure great enough to create enough friction to enable them to grip a pipe that is slick with oil.
It was mentioned that you would not inflate with air, but with a liquid.
It would have to be a liquid that would not freeze at the temps encountered.
Too practical.
The fact that this is a common technique makes it too sensible.
As a matter of fact, I own a large animal veterinary syringe that has an adjustable plunger that works exactly as you describe.
A very good suggestion. And one that could be manufactured out of ordinary materials on a crash basis.
Kosmo Kramer shot a golf ball into a whale’s blow hole. We should explore every reasonable alternative.
alyagottado is nukeit
OK. There's your leak.
Here's your water ballon.
Begin plugging.
>> it is tied to the casing string which runs into the earth to approx 18,000 feet.
What’s the inside diameter of that casing? (ballpark)
(Don’t worry, I’m not another genius about to propose a stupid idea; I’m just wondering.)
OK miss genius, I assume you've DONE this before. So get down there and do it.
(those that can't do, teach)
Silly Putty is the only answer. A non-Newtonian fluid.
Don’t forget the Extra Extra Large Deepwell Impact Socket for snugging ‘er down. Oh, and the Extra Extra Large And Powerful Underwater** Air Impact Tool to mate with the socket.
I wonder if they have those at Harbor Freight? It’s not like it’s gotta hold up for long; we’re only gonna use it once.
** If the underwater impact tool is out of stock, you can do it with the regular Extra Extra Large impact tool, but you’d better add the one-mile extension bar to your order.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.