BP Top Kill fails... NOW What?

[elder999]

Lots of great ideas lots of speculation... we're only bystanders one and all that sees what SHOULD be done but don't know what CAN be done in terms of actually making things work. No offense to anyone here but... well... you know what I mean. Besides... they probably wouldn't listen to our ideas if we sent them their way anyway.

Actually, if you look here, you'll see that my speculation is well informed. In fact, I can say that there's quite a bit more than "five physicists" working on an interesting solution........one that should be avoided, I think....

 

[kaizasosei]

The oil is gushing out like a wound, at great pressure!! and for the other idea what i failed to realize is the sheer volume of the oil although i still favor it over the nuke and it would save the damn **** too.

It can't hurt to consider some ideas..who knows, you know the hundredth monkey theory?



j

 

[shesulsa]

I just watched a very disappointing interview with some engineers and scientists including Bill Nye. I didn't hear them discuss a single great idea for ending the problem, rather they expressed dismay that some kind of backup plan or repair plan was not waiting in the wings for such a tragedy.

While the others lamented that we don't have good scientists in this country and wished to encourage any young people in the educational process watching the program, Nye encouraged the influx of all ideas even if uneducated ones.

*sigh*

 

[Big Don]

I just watched a very disappointing interview with some engineers and scientists including Bill Nye. I didn't hear them discuss a single great idea for ending the problem, rather they expressed dismay that some kind of backup plan or repair plan was not waiting in the wings for such a tragedy.

While the others lamented that we don't have good scientists in this country and wished to encourage any young people in the educational process watching the program, Nye encouraged the influx of all ideas even if uneducated ones.

*sigh*

I've seen a lot of coverage, but, little of it included "Outside the box" thinking about solving the problem, a good 90% seemed little more than lamenting the horrible event.

 

[MA-Caver]

Actually, if you look here, you'll see that my speculation is well informed. In fact, I can say that there's quite a bit more than "five physicists" working on an interesting solution........one that should be avoided, I think....

Well I DID say "no offense intended to anyone"... and I did say LOTS of GOOD ideas... either way... what really needs to have a LID put on it is this bullcrap right here!...

President Obama accused BP and its contractors of “falling over each other to point the finger of blame at someone else,”

How about they just forget WHO'S to blame until AFTER the damned leak is fixed and THEN start pointing fingers. At this juncture it doesn't matter WHO is at fault ... just fix the damned thing and then look around to who will pay for it afterwards.
However it happened it happened... the main priority right now is to fix the problem then look for where the responsibility lies...

 

[Makalakumu]

I've seen a lot of coverage, but, little of it included "Outside the box" thinking about solving the problem, a good 90% seemed little more than lamenting the horrible event.

On a side note, related to the discussion, but only tangentially. Our schools have been killing creativity. Don, your observation is spot on and par for the course.

 

[kaizasosei]

In the meantime... i just tweaked the busted jack on my mp3 by cleverly stuffing it with just the right pieces of tinfoil~stereo is back on line! Real solid! Sweetness!

?-I don't know why but around 15 min ago i just got up and went to go look for the foil without the mp3 being even close(it's been messed up for months)..-i think the creativity is catching ,or something.

 

[elder999]

I just watched a very disappointing interview with some engineers and scientists including Bill Nye. I didn't hear them discuss a single great idea for ending the problem, rather they expressed dismay that some kind of backup plan or repair plan was not waiting in the wings for such a tragedy.

While the others lamented that we don't have good scientists in this country and wished to encourage any young people in the educational process watching the program, Nye encouraged the influx of all ideas even if uneducated ones.

*sigh*

The problem is that this problem is somewhat unprecedented. Additionally, the backup would have been a redundancy that our government signed off on not being necessary for this particular well-after the backflow preventer blew, there was no other engineered safeguard in place.

Here's an article that has the broad strokes:

As BP and other oil companies have drilled wells as far as 10,000 feet down in the Gulf, they have continued to use key safety systems that are largely the same as those used in shallower water — safety systems that have failed in the past.

One thing has been clear from the start: The blowout preventer, a safety device connecting the pipe from the rig to the well on the Gulf floor, failed to seal off the well after the explosion, as designed.


Nelson has also asked Interior's inspector general to investigate why the MMS in 2003 dropped a proposal to require additional backup systems on Gulf oil rigs to protect against blowouts like the Deepwater Horizon spill, which continues to spew more than 210,000 gallons of oil a day from a well 5,000 feet deep, threatening the coastlines of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.



Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/05/08/93782/gulf-spill-just-one-sign-of-oil.html#ixzz0pbR9v35G

So, we're really left with reengineering solutions that have succeeeded on the surface or at shallower depths for this kind of event, or coming up with something novel, but 5,000 ft. below the surface may as well be in outer space............

As far as a nuclear solution goes, it would likely be a last ditch effort of a government takeover of the problem, and the biggest obstacle to using it might well be that it's potentially a violation of existing test ban treaties, and we'd have to get a sign off on it from the international community.

 

[wushuguy]

i don't know if this has been mentioned, or if my thoughts are just too "untechnically realistic" but if they put a tanker with tube/pipe slightly larger than the 20 inch leaking pipe to let the gushing oil flow into the tanker instead of the gulf while they try to add a shut off valve? Kind of like adding a hose to a flowing faucet to redirect the water. there might still be some leakage but it should be much less... I think salvaging some of the black stuff would be useful if it's possible.