Posted on 06/11/2010 9:18:13 AM PDT by Thurston_Howell_III
Franz Gayl, a civilian scientist employed by the Marine Corps, is circulating a proposal to stop the gusher of oil by using the dropping the most powerful non-nuclear bomb in the U.S. arsenal on the wellhead.
Call it the Mother of All Depth Charges. Gayl is proposing a modified version of the Air Force’s GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, known informally as the “mother of all bombs.” Designed as a “shock and awe” weapon to intimidate Saddam Hussein in the run-up to the Iraq war, the 21,600 pound, GPS-guided bomb was never used in combat.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.wsj.com ...
Whats the risk that it will open up even more????
I really think this ‘bomb the thing’ approach is fatal.
Do we forget what it will take to work at 1 mile below the sea. Do we have any test results with these bombs at those pressures? I think not.
I had heard we did use the MOAB....I can see it now blow up the ocean floor and cause thousands of oil gushers.
Sounds interesting, but what would be the effect on the bomb 5000 below water?
A lot of pressure on the bomb before you get the bomb to the bottom of the gulf.
I know the fish would not like it.
And the liner is leaking in several places. Oil is coming up from other areas around the drill head.
I uh don’t know about that one... Could it make it worse? Do ya think maybe?
Maybe Obama can ride it down there like old boy in Dr. Strangelove.
To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
And how can a air fuel bomb work under water, there isn’t any air.
Scuba tanks....or a mile long snorkel. :]
One assumes they would position it and not drop it.
But I don’t think it would be a good solution.....
An M-80 in a bowl of pudding ...
The fuel has to be in a cloud dispersed to a large degree. The bigger the fuel air bomb, the greater the dispersal required.
This would be an engineering feat of all time to pull this off under water.
It is proposed to be "modified." At 5000 depth I don't see how because FAE uses dispersion to atomize the fuel to make it into an explosive.
Of course, the actual effects (if it could actually detonate) are totally unknown.
I have also noticed the drop-off in reporting how much oil is being recovered By BP. This tells me it is probably most of it. So why are we hearing about crazy plans to bomb the wellhead?
Either Franz wants to get his name in the news or he said this long before BP got the recovery process running.
Very bad idea.
It’s not fuel air, it’s just a big ass conventional bomb.
Big bombs make big holes.
Last thing we need is a huge gaping opening to a vast oil pocket, dumping into the sea at high speed.
I keep hearing this “bomb it” suggestion. What’s the guarantee that will work instead of making things worse?
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.