# BP Oil Leak Solution



## JoeysVee (May 31, 2010)

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:


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## JoeysVee (May 31, 2010)

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


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## JoeysVee (May 31, 2010)

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

BP Video 24MAY10


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## IlPadrino (May 31, 2010)

JoeysVee said:


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


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?


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## wilheldp_PE (May 31, 2010)




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## Supe (Jun 1, 2010)

That. Is. Awesome.


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## JoeysVee (Jun 1, 2010)

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


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## Slugger926 (Jun 1, 2010)

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


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## NCcarguy (Jun 1, 2010)

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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## NCcarguy (Jun 1, 2010)

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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## Chucktown PE (Jun 1, 2010)

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.



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.


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## Slugger926 (Jun 1, 2010)

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.


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


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## wilheldp_PE (Jun 1, 2010)

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.
> ...


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


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## NCcarguy (Jun 1, 2010)

wilheldp_PE said:


> Slugger926 said:
> 
> 
> > NCcarguy said:
> ...



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


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## Slugger926 (Jun 1, 2010)

NCcarguy said:


> wilheldp_PE said:
> 
> 
> > Slugger926 said:
> ...


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


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## Dleg (Jun 1, 2010)

^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.


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.


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## Slugger926 (Jun 4, 2010)

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?


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## Chucktown PE (Jun 4, 2010)

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?


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## NCcarguy (Jun 4, 2010)

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?


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## Supe (Jun 4, 2010)

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...


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## frazil (Jun 4, 2010)

this site: The Oil Drum has some great information. All of these suggestions and more have been posted and then refuted by people who seem to know what they're talking about. My favorite so far is to commission Kotex to design a 20" cotton 'plug' and then get the ROVs to operate the gigantic applicator.


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## txaggie04PE (Jun 8, 2010)

NCcarguy said:


> 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?


Assuming a reservoir pressure of 15000 psi that puts the pressure at the wellhead some where around 500 to 1000 psi over the hydrostatic pressure of the sea floor.

Average OD of the wellhead or BOP section is at least 36in. Any sealing surface would act like a hydraulic piston with a force acting area of about 1000 in^2. That iss about 560 - 1000 kips to keep anything sealing over the wellhead or the BOPs. That a lot of force to try to stop with just rubber. any external seal would have a tough time staying in place.


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## NCcarguy (Jun 8, 2010)

txaggie04PE said:


> NCcarguy said:
> 
> 
> > 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.
> ...



Is that pressure upward? I really haven't looked at the videos, but I was assuming there is a flange nearby that the new plug is pressing on. I would think hydraulic fluid could be used to maintain the seal. It would be the same as the movement in the robotics they are using down there now.

again....still just thinking out loud, AND out of my expertise.


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## MGX (Jun 8, 2010)

I'm telling you $1 billion in small bills injected at high pressure, we'll call it the 'money shot'.


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## Chucktown PE (Jun 8, 2010)

MGX said:


> I'm telling you $1 billion in small bills injected at high pressure, we'll call it the 'money shot'.



:appl: :appl: :appl: :appl:


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## engineergurl (Jun 8, 2010)

Okay, this may sound like i'm being stupid, but hey aren't we brainstorming... I am thinking along the lines of flubber... silly putty... stretch arm strong... or that floam stuff...

I am pretty sure silly putty does not freeze well, but if one of the other nearly liquid solids is still pliable at freezing temps... They have already cut the pipe, which means that those robot things should be capeable of working with some sort of caulking gun system with what ever nearly solid is the choice.

We have a slightly smaller, really long A$$ pipe, that has some sort of mechanism at the end of it like those butterfly nuts. We guide the long small pipe into the larger leaking pipe and then jerk it out engaging the mechanism to expand and creating a partial seal which would then be caulked with the nearly liquid solid.

I realize that there are a lot of innuendos here, as well as issues, but please hear me out...

Issue one would be that the "pressure and force" of the oil spewing out of the existing pipe might prevent the insertion of said smaller pipe. A feasable soultion would be to calculate that, fill the smaller pipe with oil (or a liquid with near the same density and other characteristics), position it, and when almost ready, turn massive pumps on to trump the larger pipe. I realize that this would in essence be pumping oil out and creating a worse situation, but if in the end the leak is completely sealed, then we are ahead of the game.

I guess the concept would work if the pipe was larger, but I kind of feel like that's already been tried and didn't work with the whole concrete funnel thing. You could have your little tree of BOP's and flanges and all that stuff ready on the smaller (or larger) pipe, and in essence turn the thing into a functioning rig again. Which would be issue two... these materials are not exactly readily available. (My solution to that one is... this is the freaking free world and then some that are experiencing the impacts, we should be able to get anything in less then a weeks time if the money is right)

If the pipe we were inserting was already filled with a liquid, would this not prevent the ice crystals from forming somehow?

And did I mention that Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thorton, and Ben Affleck and the rest of the cast from Armageddon are the ones that have to preform said above operation?

The thing about all of the above, is that we could easily experiment with the senarios prior to implementing to see if they worked. Scaled models and the likes in pressure chambers with really rocking HVAC units.

Oh and about that cleaning up afterwards... we need to figure out how to infuse the booms with the dispursing chem and attach spill absorbant pads (the kind that doesn't soak up water) on the "outsides" of them. Pool all of the resources of every construction site on earth together since half of them use soil to soak up their leaks anyway, and circle the "spill".

Okay, since i'm just a lowly tech, all you PE's need to figure out how to implement the above  although I'm sure you guys will come up with WHY it won't work, which will make me feel better knowing that at least I tried this one out and I'll move on to the next idea.


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## BryGuy (Jun 9, 2010)

engineergurl said:


> &lt;snip&gt; Drilling Mud &lt;/snip&gt;



That is why you use BOPs with top kill ports already plumbed in.

The thing is there is a tree of cut-offs that would do the trick... if only they could get them to fire.


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## BryGuy (Jun 9, 2010)

SapperPE said:


> Supe said:
> 
> 
> > 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...
> ...



Hey this administration is hell bent on getting cap-n-trade passed whatever the cost. Just look at all that tax revenue, man!


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## Supe (Jun 9, 2010)

SapperPE said:


> Supe said:
> 
> 
> > 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...
> ...



Could be. Supposedly the kid was very upset over the ordeal, as he anticipated getting the recognition and $$$ as part of the team that stopped it.


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## BryGuy (Jun 9, 2010)

Supe said:


> SapperPE said:
> 
> 
> > Supe said:
> ...


Again this is going to turn into engineer bashing by the media and congress is going to push for more rules and regulations that don't do anything. It was bean counters, management, and politicians that have made this a disaster.

I guess if they removed the exception and had something a little better than whistleblower protection laws which don't do much for the person being protected.


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## Capt Worley PE (Jun 9, 2010)

SapperPE said:


> Supe said:
> 
> 
> > 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...
> ...


I detect a whiff of bovine feces myself. On the other hand, I've learned to have a very healthy mistrust of our elected officials, so I'm gonna keep it in the back of my mind.


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## Supe (Jun 9, 2010)

Based on Obama's hunt for "who's ass to kick," it wouldn't surprise me if his "experts" didn't think it would work and shot it down accordingly. I don't think just about anything is too far fetched to put past the "experts."


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## Master slacker (Jun 10, 2010)

BP STOPPED THE OIL LEAK!!!

The story is that the BP engineers working on potential solutions brainstormed a collar that would actually wrap all the way around the pipe. It was made of 18k gold for its superior corrosion resistance. The engineers figured that once it was put on, the leak would stop putting out. They deemed it the wedding band solution.


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## Slugger926 (Jun 11, 2010)




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## ElCid03 (Jun 13, 2010)

What about Mighty Mend It?

Oh where have you gone Billy Mays? Our nations turns it eyes to you.......


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## Supe (Jun 14, 2010)

I think Mighty Putty would be the junk shot material of choice.


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## TouchDown (Jun 21, 2010)

Has anyone passed on these ideas to the people in charge? Looks like they could use all the help they can get.


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## Supe (Jun 21, 2010)

I doubt it, though I'd imagine that the Mighty Putty to stop the leak and Oxy Clean for clean-up is a blockbuster combo.


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## Dleg (Jun 21, 2010)

A couple trillion Sham-Wows would probably help, too.


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## Supe (Jun 22, 2010)

Dleg said:


> A couple trillion Sham-Wows would probably help, too.



Good point! They could then wring out the ShamWows and salvage all of the spilled oil!


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## roadwreck (Jun 22, 2010)

what about the Slap Chop? Can anyone think of a good use for that? Removing the fingers and toes of BP executives?


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## Chucktown PE (Jun 22, 2010)

You use the slap chop to chop up the sham wows to shoot the junk shot, we could call it the Billy Mays Money Shot.


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## Dleg (Jun 22, 2010)

:appl:


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## engineergurl (Jun 22, 2010)

you know they changed the commercial for slap chop... it doesn't tell us we'll love his nuts anymore....


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## Master slacker (Jun 22, 2010)

Best... commercial... EVAR!!!



And, yes, I actually DID see this on TV around the beginning of this year. However, I only saw it once.


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## Supe (Jun 23, 2010)




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## Slugger926 (Jun 29, 2010)

Supe said:


>



Did you see post #36?


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