ATS: Do you have a Novel Solution to the Gulf Oil Spill?

get everyone to the coastline with soap and brushes for a cleanup day, pack up your cozies, you won't be needing them as no swimming will be allowed.

reply to post by butcherguy


Fab - nor will it plug it.

It might very well fracture the formation more, and the salt water act like a propent and make it pour more oil.

Can we even get a camera down that far to see the leak?
But I guess even if we did, we wouldnt be able to see anything cause of all the crude.
The more I think about this, the more screwed I think we are.

reply to post by redgy
Very good, this one will be necessary, I believe, no matter what the capping solution is!

Originally posted by NuTech
My thoughts; drill an angled shaft into the main shaft and pump it full of liquid nitrogen. Only a temporary plug but should give them enough time for a more permanent solution.

That sort of drilling takes quite some time. I don't know enough about this. I fail to see how a nitrogen cap would work with a pressurized borehole.

Originally posted by Aeons
reply to post by butcherguy

 

Fab - nor will it plug it.

It might very well fracture the formation more, and the salt water act like a propent and make it pour more oil.

Yeah fab, and you are still sticking with the it will light a big fire thing too?

Put a expandable T-piece thick steel pipe in the old 5 feet diameter pipe with subs/ROVs . Expand it so its really tight, then weld it or drill holes and secure it. The oil is blowing out of two outlets. Close both valves attached at the T piece slowly, one at the time.
Ha ha ha, wish it was so easy.

This hole will never close, where doomed.

You don't need a cone that goes all the way down to the borehole.

You need one that is static in the water and covers the likely area that the petroleum is disperse through on the way up to the surface.

Because oil floats. You only need to contain it on the first couple of feet.

The barriers-booms aren't working because they petroleum essential is just washing over them. And the waves are washing away the booms.

Booms that are more like reinforced biodegradeable foam that extend from several feet down in the water to several feet OUT of the water, with the structure anchored at points around the perimeter. Maybe two "levels" of it. so that the first perimeter helps break the waves hitting the actual containment booms.

A big anchored bowl with no bottom.

[edit on 2010/5/3 by Aeons]

Closed cell spray foam.

Troy Hurtubise: Project Grizzly

wiki Troy Hurtubise

There are a handful of suits invented which can withstand the pressures down at those depths. Special patented spherical joints that allow actuation and a seal were developed. I can't think of the patent or the inventor, but he was someone like this Troy Hurtubise and his bear suit, a wily inventor.

How about "eco-disaster" tourism? They can market towards environmentalists that would be willing to pay to go down there and assist in the clean-up as volunteers. A "green" vacation....and they all get to go home feeling good about themselves for helping "save" the planet.

I think later, I am going to hook my garden hose up through the bottom of a tank almost full of water. Then I am going to turn on the hose(the water will act like the oil) and see if there is anyway I can plug the hole without
using my eyes.

reply to post by Common Good


I can't hurt Bud,some folks have changed the world by messing about with tubs of water.

"Eureka!"

Anyone who comes up with a solid fix for this should be given millions by BP/Gov IMO.
And most of the world would be in their debt.

reply to post by Silcone Synapse


Hey just remember, the cone idea was mine. If they use it cool, but I think I will ask for ::putspinky to corner of mouth:::One Million Dollars!
No make that $5mil....That company needs to reap what it sews.


Edit-Make that 10

[edit on 3-5-2010 by Common Good]

So everyone REFUSES to even try the rock/ship bombardment plan.

Instead everyone will just sit around and let it spill out for 3+months.

Great plan. Real great.

Good job ASSUMING the rock theory won't work. Because gravity doesn't pull 1000 ton boulders downwards or anything...

Nice job conducting TESTS to see if it works, and proving the theory wrong. A plan that has no negative side effects even if it doesn't work.

Well, I gave a bio-friendly solution that could be implemented within hours and attempts could be made within 48hours.

I refuse to accept the plan will not work until it is TRIED FIRST. I don't see anyone trying anything to stop it. Even the Gov said they can't stop it.

Since I do not own anything on Earth, I do not care if you just sit on your rear and "debunk" every solution people post.

See I have nothing to lose here, as I own no part of Earth. So enjoy your oil slick. Ignore the proposals. I was merely giving the simplest solution.

Oh wait I get it, you want to SAVE the OIL. What a joke....

That's why you don't want a mountain of rocks on top of the hole. You think you can salvage the well and still sell the oil....

I just had an idea!

Loads and loads of thermite with tones and tonnes of silicone (silica sand bags?) and lead... Stuff that will melt under the heat.

What you do is lay massive thermite charges around the hole, then you pack / dump as much silica sand bags and lead as you can on top of this, set the thermite off and voilà! As soon as the thermite burns out the very cold water down there will solidify the lead and sand into a plug.

It's simple fairly cheep and can be repeated as much as needed to keep on building up the plug, once they have stemmed the major amount of the flow they can start on building big foundation's all around (concrete? Big metal steaks pole driven into the sea bed?) and then they can build right over the plug and block it forever

Man they should give me a job for thinking of that one!

reply to post by Common Good


I like your cone idea. If it is heavy enough to seat on the ocean floor, over the hole, the cone should corrall the oil and they could siphon it off through your hose connected to the top. I think your idea has possibilities.

Originally posted by Now_Then

Loads and loads of thermite with tones and tonnes of silicone (silica sand bags?) and lead... Stuff that will melt under the heat.

What you do is lay massive thermite charges around the hole, then you pack / dump as much silica sand bags and lead as you can on top of this, set the thermite off and voilà! As soon as the thermite burns out the very cold water down there will solidify the lead and sand into a plug.

Now that is a good plan.

I actually like it more than the drop rocks.

You want to drop sand + lead and then melt it.

I like this very much, as it is "Novel" and SUPER CHEAP!

reply to post by muzzleflash


Muzzle...

I will try it out when I do my experiment.

The first thingi will do,is geta bunch of rocks, and drop em to the bottom, and see if that works.

Personally, I think that it would just create a bigger mess for us, and make it even harder to fix if we do that and it does not work.

But I am going to give it a try.

reply to post by Common Good


Well if it makes a big mess, you can always just use the bomb solutions to clear it all out of the way and start over lol.

I am thinking you can put the cone over the rock piles though without much problems at all, if it still leaks through them.

Hell use the rocks to anchor the cone.