Does anyone else feel hopeless about the oil well in the gulf?

[b*saint]

It seems BP is just reaching into the dark for ideas on how to stop this thing. Don't you think they should've done worst-possible-scenario testing before shit like this happens? Seriously what if they can't stop it till the fall when the relief well is dug? They pretty much fucked up the gulf of mexico and now they are talking about hurricane season spreading the oil out more.

[Jonny Cash]

it will spread further no doubt, but its just speculation whether the storm season will make it worse or not. Its a huge disaster, actually alot worse than the average person thinks- If you want to make a difference and you own a commercial rig (or know someone), you need to make some contacts, tow it down there and help clean up. BP is subbing commercial rigs 3k/day- the bigger boats even more. If it didnt cost over 8k to tow a boat like that down there from new england, we would've already been down there.

[Massive Lee]

Why don't they simply build a large box around the leak, at the base, it may take a few days. THEN, WHEN IT IS FINISHED, SIMPLY CAP IT. A valve could even allow to keep on pumping oil...

Damn it. It ain't difficult.

[HiTheNameIsBJ]

^See that's what I'm trying to figure out. There's gotta be something that the two of us are missing here.

[Charlie]

Why don't they simply build a large box around the leak, at the base, it may take a few days. THEN, WHEN IT IS FINISHED, SIMPLY CAP IT. A valve could even allow to keep on pumping oil...

Damn it. It ain't difficult.

God, I love internet experts.

Um, that's what they've tried to do, twice since the explosion occured over a month ago. It's failed. They also tried to put a safety relief valve on it, it's failed. Now they're trying another top cap. None of these processes or procedures they're trying have ever been tested or set up at the depths they're trying them at. The "top kill" fix is a big kludge but about the best they can do in this time frame. The only way you're really going to be able to stop this is to drill a relief well, which is a very long procedure, they're over a mile down. It's going to take months.

-Charlie

[Massive Lee]

Yup. I know. This is internet expertise. But based on what news reports show, I guess the multi-million $ contracts given to experts haven't worked too well yet. ;-)

But if the real amount of fuel being spilled is 4 to 5 times what BP claims, I wonder about that "expertise"...

[StereoInstaller1]

Wonder what kind of pressures the weight of the water generates at a mile depth...gotta be big, y'know?

[Massive Lee]

Wonder what kind of pressures the weight of the water generates at a mile depth...gotta be big, y'know?

Yup. Must indeed be difficult to pour concrete that low. But what about a 1" thick steel tube/container being dropped from the surface, then capped with ducts going to the surface into a tanker. Basically, job #1 is to keep oil from being splilled in the sea. So, just pump it as it was done before. That'll buy time to find a way to "lock" that well.

[Pinepig]

Wonder what kind of pressures the weight of the water generates at a mile depth...gotta be big, y'know?

Rule of thumb for divers is 1 atmosphere ( aprox 15psi ) for every 30 feet.

The reason the " box over the top " didn't work was that oil and gas come out of the well. The pressure and temperature at that depth certain gases will freeze and turn solid ( which they did ) creating a big ice plug in the pipe they had running to the surface.

If you want to really know what's going on and have the time may I suggest you go check this place out ( start in this topic )

http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6531

[Massive Lee]

Great find from the above link. Déjà vu anyone?

[Jand3rson]

I have to say, it is very disheartening.

I'm sure I'm not the only one asking this, but what happens if they can't stop it?

[markseven]

This absolutely sucks. Don't the Saudi's have some big suction thing they use to clean up spills?

[andyman2487]

Wonder what kind of pressures the weight of the water generates at a mile depth...gotta be big, y'know?

I did a quick calc, looks to be ~2200 psia at 5000 feet. :crazy:

They've tried to contain it with a steel box attached to piping that would pump the oil to a tanker on the surface, but the high pressure and low temperature at the ocean floor turned the methane in the leaking oil into crystals that clogged the box and sealed it. I read somewhere that the blowout preventer that could have prevented this mess was reliant on battery power. On the ocean floor.

[Be30mer]

I have to say, it is very disheartening.

I'm sure I'm not the only one asking this, but what happens if they can't stop it?

then the earth will deflate and death will bestow itself upon all.
But seriously, if they cant stop it, it will eventually run out of oil and the gulf of mexico and its coastlines will be complete shit for decades to come.

[Farbin Kaiber]

Just keep in mind that the 1979 Mexican side spill in the gulf dumped 140m gallons. We have been through worse in the Gulf.

Conspiracy Theory time, Katrina didn't work, so they blew the top off this well. They gonna get the poor folk outta the south one way or another. ;)

(I'm only half serious)