BP Oil Leak Solution

Guys and Gals, we should join together to try to come up with solutions to the BP oil leak. First we could gather information regarding the leak. ie. specifications of the riser and water at that depth, schematics of the riser, etc.

I have done a brief search on Google but didn't find much as far as gathering the facts. :dunno: Maybe we should try to gather the facts, ie. what is the diameter of the riser, what material is it, how cold is it at that depth, flow rate, etc. We could also list the limitations which should become obvious as we gather the info on the current state of the riser.

Then we could start brainstorming. Let's try to keep the limited to serious posts only. :thumbs:

After we gather all the info and we start thinking of our own ideas we could submit them to BP and the US government. This could be a fun project. We definitely have the knowledge here so let's get to it. ld-025:

Does anyone have any links on anything technical regarding the BP oil leak? Like schematics, specifications of the riser, info on the water at that depth, etc? If so post'em.

arty-smiley-048:

Here's the live BP feed...Click Here (Video)

Some good technical info can be seen here in this video..

BP Video 24MAY10

JoeysVee said:

Let's try to keep the limited to serious posts only. :thumbs:

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Would an extra large condom be considered "serious"?

Seriously... I wonder how many of us can appreciate how hard it is to do *anything* a mile below the surface. I'd think BP has the best minds our world has to offer thinking this through. Not to say someone else can't come up with *the* solution, but how do you find the needle in all the hay?

That. Is. Awesome.

Sorta thought this is the path this thread would go down.

I got a viable proven solution (maybe). Let's tell BP to get a bunch of Bar's Oil Leak stop, and insert into the blowout.

http://www.barsproducts.com/E10L.htm

I think the PROBLEM isn't just stopping a leaking pipe. I believe that the oil well ruptured in several places below the surface, and oil is gushing from multiple spots, that may very well move around. I'm guessing the only REAL solution is to drain the oil field since at that pressure and the fact the oil wants to be on top of the water, it'll go until it's done.

the previous post really is from a fairly un-intelligent civil engineer, so it's only speculation on my part.

what I DON'T understand is why we don't have a little better solution to gather the oil that makes it's way to the surface, pump it into something that would seperate it, then use it before it makes it's way to shore.

NCcarguy said:

what I DON'T understand is why we don't have a little better solution to gather the oil that makes it's way to the surface, pump it into something that would seperate it, then use it before it makes it's way to shore.

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That was Kevin Costner's invention that he was touting, basically a centrifuge. Only problem is the throughput on it is about 200 gallons per minute.

I was looking at a wastewater centrifuge used for dewatering sludge. Some have a throughput of 500 gallons per minute. It slings the water to the outside and the oil stays in the center, then you use a auger to push the oil to one side.

However, to me, it seems like the easiest solution is a sequencing batch reactor/decanter. I.e. Pump the oil/water mixture in a huge tanker ship with telescoping valves. Let the water sit still for a couple of hours and then separate the oil of the top with the telescoping valves and pump it to a ship that will take it to shore, then repeat. As simple as this sounds, the amount of water that we're talking about makes this totally impractical. I think a big tanker can hold 10,000,000 gallons.

NCcarguy said:

I think the PROBLEM isn't just stopping a leaking pipe. I believe that the oil well ruptured in several places below the surface, and oil is gushing from multiple spots, that may very well move around. I'm guessing the only REAL solution is to drain the oil field since at that pressure and the fact the oil wants to be on top of the water, it'll go until it's done.
the previous post really is from a fairly un-intelligent civil engineer, so it's only speculation on my part.

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I am not a civil engineer if that post was about me.

Slugger926 said:

NCcarguy said:

I think the PROBLEM isn't just stopping a leaking pipe. I believe that the oil well ruptured in several places below the surface, and oil is gushing from multiple spots, that may very well move around. I'm guessing the only REAL solution is to drain the oil field since at that pressure and the fact the oil wants to be on top of the water, it'll go until it's done.
the previous post really is from a fairly un-intelligent civil engineer, so it's only speculation on my part.

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I am not a civil engineer if that post was about me.

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I think he was talking about his own post...it was just poorly worded.

wilheldp_PE said:

Slugger926 said:

NCcarguy said:

I think the PROBLEM isn't just stopping a leaking pipe. I believe that the oil well ruptured in several places below the surface, and oil is gushing from multiple spots, that may very well move around. I'm guessing the only REAL solution is to drain the oil field since at that pressure and the fact the oil wants to be on top of the water, it'll go until it's done.
the previous post really is from a fairly un-intelligent civil engineer, so it's only speculation on my part.

Click to expand...

I am not a civil engineer if that post was about me.

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I think he was talking about his own post...it was just poorly worded.

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You're correct...it was ME that I was referring to....and I made my own point. lol

NCcarguy said:

wilheldp_PE said:

Slugger926 said:

NCcarguy said:

I think the PROBLEM isn't just stopping a leaking pipe. I believe that the oil well ruptured in several places below the surface, and oil is gushing from multiple spots, that may very well move around. I'm guessing the only REAL solution is to drain the oil field since at that pressure and the fact the oil wants to be on top of the water, it'll go until it's done.
the previous post really is from a fairly un-intelligent civil engineer, so it's only speculation on my part.

Click to expand...

I am not a civil engineer if that post was about me.

Click to expand...

I think he was talking about his own post...it was just poorly worded.

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You're correct...it was ME that I was referring to....and I made my own point. lol

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I wasn't going to argue the un-intelligent part if you were referring to me either. lol

I still don't see why they can't use barsleak on that leak. It has worked in Submarines. lol

^That's what the "junk shot" technique was all about: trying to plug it up from within. Did anyone hear if they actually attempted it?

Chucktown PE said:

However, to me, it seems like the easiest solution is a sequencing batch reactor/decanter. I.e. Pump the oil/water mixture in a huge tanker ship with telescoping valves. Let the water sit still for a couple of hours and then separate the oil of the top with the telescoping valves and pump it to a ship that will take it to shore, then repeat. As simple as this sounds, the amount of water that we're talking about makes this totally impractical. I think a big tanker can hold 10,000,000 gallons.

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That's basically what happens with all oil production - it hardly ever comes up "pure" - there's usually some fraction of water that must be removed. The "new" Exxon platforms that were built off Santa Barbara in the early '90s did their processing on a big ship that was permanently stationed near them. The oil was pumped to the ship, the water removed (and presumably returned to the ocean - I was totally uninvolved in production, so I am mostly speculating), and then sent on to whereever it was going - pipeline or another ship, I never really paid attention.

I think the problem with this situation is that the well is so badly damaged that virtually no repair work can fix it, and the flow and pressure is so great that there's no way to kill it from the top - everything that gets pumped into it will just get blown right back out. I know that BP has hundreds, if not thousands of skilled, intelligent, experienced engineers working on solutions to the problem, both from their own ranks and also from many other specialized contractors. It's tough to speculate a solution from way outside like this, without even a decent diagram of the well and the suspected damage to it. And on top of all that, to speculate a solution that can be implemented 5,000 feet down.

Why wouldn't these work?:

1) completely cutting or blowing the BOP off the well head. now we have a well gushing from the surface casing as opposed to from a broken end of the riser pipe. BUT - now, with a semi-submersible positioned in the original well position, why couldnt they insert a string of pipe - guided by theremote controlled subs of course - into the well head - with a packer that can open up and seal the well? casing packers are a common tool!!!!!!!! open it up, pump in cement, SEALED.

or - in the absence of a suitable expandable packer - in a day or two you could manufacture a metal cone. lets say the surface casing is 36". make a metal cone that tapers from a point to 35.75 in. over a distance of 40 feet or so. simple - could be made at any number of NOV Varco or any othjer metal fabricating plant here in Houston in a couple of days, and i am sure there aqre plenty cloer in new orleans. cram that thing in the well head after blowing the BOP off as above, then fill with cement. SEALED.

where is the flaw in this line of thought?

Obviously I know this is all speculative, but I've been wondering why they can't remove the flange from what was the riser pipe off of the blowout preventer. It looks like there are 8 bolts on it. Anyway, remove the bolts so you have a clean flanged surface. Then bring another valve (in the open position down and sit it on top of the BOP. Bolt the new valve in place (again while it's in the open position). After the bolts are tight, close the valve with a ROV. Why wouldn't that work?

you know....I have been thinking. Why can't they build a 2 piece unit that would resemble a large steel barrel that would seal along both sides. on the top and bottom have it narrow down to a size that would be near the size of the pipes but line them with an inflateable seal. Clamp the barrel around the leaking area after they attach the new connection, then inflate the the top and bottom "Seals" until they actually seal against the pipes. that should work.

any thoughts?

Interesting tidbit of information I heard today. One of our QC inspectors knows one of the fluid engineers for the company that was going to do the junk shot. Apparently, they had the finish in their sights last week, had the mud in there, and were getting ready to start pumping concrete, when they got a call from the Obama administration that told them to stop and bail out...