It is indeed gratifying to read that apparently one of the options I suggested for dealing with the leaky risers is under serious consideration, namely grafting a new pipe on to the leaky riser and directly bringing the oil to the surface, where the pipe or hose transporting it would be connected to a containment vessel. For the record, here’s a similar suggestion I made to both Unified Command and NOAA on April 29:
“…attach 5000 foot long hoses to the riser at the points where the leaks are, with a view to siphoning the oil off to the ocean's surface, for temporary storage and recovery on barges and in tanks, and eventual recycling ashore. I haven't seen any mention of this option either. It's an interim measure, obviously, that would be employed until the source of the leak can be stopped, but if it is feasible it could conceivably avoid a considerable amount of environmental damage and expense by preventing the oil from spreading on the ocean's surface.”
My question for the authorities is: "What took you so long?!”
Then there’s the matter of the dome which has been reportedly set aside on the seabed because it wasn’t working. Why doesn't BP just get some robotic arms on the ROVs to attach cables to the dome at the base, and then try to tip the dome on its side so that it covers the leak and ‘smothers’ the leaking oil, effectively cutting off its escape route into the marine environment? Have they considered this option? If not, why not? I mean, the dome weighs 80 tons. So, surely it’s not going to get knocked out of position if it is flipped on its side.
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Why not freeze the pipe with LN2 or CO2. Create a wrap and inject the liquid into a wrap. i understand that it would take a while to get enough frozen in the pipe but the main factor to consider is the temperature of the crude in the pipe. If you can offset the heat gain enought to create a frozen layer on the inside. The flow reduces and then you start getting more layers frozen until you have a "temporary plug" giving you enough time to cut and attach another pipe to it that has valves on it. Just a thought that ran thru my head today. It would take a few hundred thousand pound of co2 or ln2 and it would have to be compressed to make it to that depth. Has nyone considered that. The only thing that i did not consider is that the pipe would be very brittle at that temperature.
ReplyDeleteThanks, David! I suggest you forward your suggestion to the BP crisis centre in Houston. Their email address: is horizonsupport@oegllc.com
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