Oil Plug Idea

06-02-10 | me

[dps.inspect]

Ok, here goes for ideas from common folk on how to plug the oil leak at the bottom of the gulf.

Fashion a hardened steel cone, which when finally inserted, would cut off the oil flow either partially or completely.

The steel cone would have a tip of the hardest material available, likely titanium or some such alloy; the cone would be positioned with the use of submersibles such that the cone tip would be inserted into a break at the top of the pipe; a submersible with a jackhammer apparatus would attach itself to the top of the cone and lightly jackhammer the opening in the pipe till the cone could be tilted into a plumb position; then jackhammer the cone into the pipe till it is wedged into place. Brighter minds can take it form there.

[Hotmetal]

ping

[Cold Heart]

Just crimp it.

[RexBeach]

Er, I was thinking Helen Thomas wearing scuba gear. Yes?

[loungitude]

I think that it would take around five million pounds of force to jam it in.
(Assume 21” diam opening, 15,000 psi discharge pressure.)

[evets]

[Yo-Yo]

Just use a giant Drain King to pump mud down the well.

</sarc>

(In this case, I think it is necessary.)

[goodwithagun]

That would make the pipe shrivel up for sure.

[Carpe Cerevisi]

[Dallas59]

Just stuff a bunch of trash down there....

[refermech]

How about a section of tapered pipe with a valve on the top left open until it’s inserted, then close the valve. Of course they have to get the mangled section of pipe off first.

[Cagey]

Hahahaha!

[al baby]

oh by the way i just heard the saw is stuck

[texasmanforbush]

flowing pressure at the top of the BOP is much lower, more than likely is around 2000 psi. there is no way o jackhammer anything because you have nothing to apply force with that has an anchor. a crimp would have been good to slow the flow but, they should have cut the pipe above the BOP weeks ago and tried to “sting in” and kill the well with cement weeks ago. Seems like DC has a bunch of lawyers there to watch over everything so, the decisions are being made by other lawyers! I wish Red Adair or Bob Cudd were still with us! i knew them both and they would have had it capped by now!! Solution - inverted BOP with slips to grab the casing, seal rams to seal the casing and blind rams to seal off the flow, just an old blow out hand with my two cents!!

[onedoug]

Hmm, uh....

[Smokin' Joe]

See here and here for the math.

[Cagey]

Fashion a hardened steel cone, which when finally inserted, would cut off the oil flow either partially or completely.

Like this?

[onedoug]

“Tear it apart, Marshall. Tear it apart!”

[piytar]

Not a bad idea, but it wouldn’t work. First, lining it up properly within the gushing flow at the top of the well would be almost impossible. Second, anything with enough weight to stem the flow would also crack the well head, resulting in a worse leak around the area of the plug.

Keep working on it, though. Not a bad first crack at the problem.

[Lucky9teen]

That’d be a great idea, if they were going to cap it.

But me thinks they are going to try everything they can to salvage the spewing oil to they can contain it and sell it.

After all, it’s where the $$ is. Capping it would only end their profits.