Regarding the BP cleanup of the oil spill

[BudSooner]

Does anyone actually think this procedure will actually work?
I've looked at so much material telling how it is supposed to work, and on paper it doesn't look like it's going to work, then again i'm no rocket scientist.
"Top Kill" sounds like a fat kid doing a belly flop into a pool fwiw.

[Bourbon St Sooner]

I get the part about shooting mud into the hole and that seems to be pushing the hydrocarbons back into the well, but I'm curious about how you get cement to set in the hole with the hc pushing back against it.

[BudSooner]

, but I'm curious about how you get cement to set in the hole with the hc pushing back against it.

That is the part I cannot figure out, it makes no sense doing this part last.
Sending the cement down first, maybe and I doubt this works as it sounds like a way of BP buying time while trying another solution down the road.

[Howzit]

Topkill has nothing to do with the cleanup, this is to stop more oil from getting into the Gulf.

[Howzit]

I read an interesting article in the Dallas Morning News last Saturday about technology that Kevin Costner acquired the rights to after filming Waterworld. This isn't the same article, but gives some info.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aH92USkWdYyA


Kevin Costner Leads Pack of 23,500 With Gulf Oil Cleanup Ideas

Commentary by Mike Di Paola


http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/data?pid=avimage&iid=ioQSvvFliyDs



May 27 (Bloomberg) -- Last week in the Gulf of Mexico, actor Kevin Costner sparked headlines when he unveiled a device that appears to do a fine job of cleaning oil out of water. Some commentators seized the opportunity to make “Waterworld” jokes, but BP Plc (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=BP%2F%3ALN) took his machine seriously enough to be testing it this week.


“This is why Costner is so passionate about it,” said fellow actor Stephen Baldwin (http://www.thewilltodrill.com/) on the telephone. “Because it really works.” Baldwin, who is producing-directing a documentary about the oil catastrophe titled “Will to Drill,” filmed the demonstration.
Costner has spent $24 million of his own cash over the past 15 years to finance development of the device, which uses centrifugal force to spin the crude out of the water.
Estimating the size of the slick has been problematic, not least because the often-cited “5000 barrels a day” gushing from the sea floor might be low-balling the actual figure by 90,000 barrels, according to congressional testimony heard last week.


By now, some 54,096 square miles, nearly a quarter of federal waters in the

Gulf, are closed to fishing.


Yesterday, BP engineers were readying robotic submarines armed with 50,000 barrels of dense mud to stanch the flow, a maneuver they are calling “top kill.”


So far BP has focused on three offshore cleanup strategies: skimming the oil, burning it on site, or dowsing it with hundreds of thousands of gallons of chemical dispersants to hasten its breakdown.


Possible Solutions
As results have been mixed at best, the company invited the public to submit suggestions, and has heard from more than 23,500 people.


“Several hundred passed first muster,” says company spokesman Robert Wine from London. “They all have merit, to some extent. They have certainly been useful in helping us come up with ideas with all parts of the response.”


One proposal comes from Darryl Carpenter, vice president of CW Roberts Contracting of Tallahassee, Florida and subcontractor Otis Goodson. Their exceedingly simple method to soak up oil involves spreading hay over the slick, then gathering up the mess using aquatic weed harvesters at sea or rakes on the beach.


“We have not heard from BP,” says Carpenter. “All’s we really want is a chance to see if it works or not.”
YouTube Demo


Although the oil company hasn’t responded, the viewing public has: The contractors’ YouTube demonstration -- showing large bowls filled with water, oil and hay -- is approaching 1.5 million views. A second video on how to disperse hay over the sea is being readied.

(http://www.matteroftrust.org/)
Matter of Trust (http://www.matteroftrust.org/), a San Francisco-based nonprofit, is a conduit for tons of donated hair, fur and feathers from around the world.


The materials are stuffed into nylon stockings (50,000 pairs donated by Hanes) and linked together to form naturally absorbent booms. BP, which had originally reached out to the group, now says thanks but no thanks.


“BP’s public affairs told us they have enough of their own boom,” says Matter of Trust president Lisa Gautier. Her product -- at the moment accumulating in 19 storage facilities around the Gulf -- is available for government hazardous- materials teams, when they are ready to use it.


Italy’s Answer
Fluidotecnica Sanseverino (http://www.fluidotecnicasanseverino.com/) in Bari, Italy, produces an oil- separation device called Oilsep CC Ecology that, like the Costner and other devices, uses no chemical additives.


The three-year-old firm has produced a dozen machines, now being used by Fiat (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=F%3AIM) SpA, Robert Bosch (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=RBOS%3AGR) GmbH and other companies. Owner Michele Sanseverino says he hasn’t received a response from BP.


“It looks like BP doesn’t want to respond to those who want to help,” he told Bloomberg by telephone. “It makes us angry to have a solution that could keep the situation under control and that they don’t want to listen.”
The governor of Puglia, Nichi Vendola, even wrote a letter to Barack Obama on Sanseverino’s behalf, promising the U.S. president that Pugliese mechanics would manufacture enough of the machines to get the job done.


The U.S. government itself has received offers of help from Canada, Croatia, France, South Korea and other countries, as well as from the United Nations. So far, the U.S. has expressed thanks, but hasn’t accepted outside assistance.


It seems that everyone wants to help.


‘BAG IT’


Even I am fielding cleanup suggestions from readers. “Crude oil floats,” writes Mark Sowage of Seattle, Washington. “BAG IT.” He describes a not-crazy idea involving tarps, belts and fishing nets. He also sent a hand-drawn pipe-cinching design, and has submitted both ideas to BP. Like many before him, he hasn’t heard back.


I have a suggestion for BP -- and the U.S. government. Both should welcome and try every proposal, offer of help and cocktail-napkin drawing they receive. With the oil leak so out of control that we can’t even estimate the rate at which it is growing, now might be the time for desperate measures -- all of them.

[GottaHavePride]

Yeah. Although I don't know why, say, a couple of weeks ago someone didn't just call for some explosives to collapse the damn thing and stop the flow.

I mean, oh noes, they might have to re-drill a new well. So what? They could have ended this a long time ago.

[BudSooner]

Topkill has nothing to do with the cleanup, this is to stop more oil from getting into the Gulf.
Your right, my mistake I should have worded it differently.

[olevetonahill]

Its been years since I worked in the patch
But Ill take a stab at it
I know there are peeps here with a hell of lot More And recent experience.

They gonna pump the Mud Down hole under pressure that exceeds the pressure of the Oil flowing out.Therefor Forcing oil kinda into a retreat back down. Once enough Mud is pumped in they will follow that with The cement that will or rather Hopefully plug that bitch

[Ike]

Yeah. Although I don't know why, say, a couple of weeks ago someone didn't just call for some explosives to collapse the damn thing and stop the flow.


Several people did. Some even suggested nukes. Even that though doesn't guarantee you stop the flow. It could even make it worse. In order to stop the flow, you need to create a seal of relatively no-porous material above the oil. An explosion may or may not do that. It may leave a somewhat porous layer of rock, dirt and mud above the oil that allows the oil to seep up in a very dispersive fashion, with a net flow rate that could even be greater than it is currently. If that wound up being the case, stopping the flow would only then be possible with the relief well. As I understand things, now there is at least a bit of a chokepoint in a partial seal. Removing that with explosives and replacing that with who knows what could make things worse. It could make things better too...but IMO, there is way too much uncertainty to even try it.

[StoopTroup]

Ummmmm...

http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/exhibitionist/cork2.jpg

[StoopTroup]

Guess they are still going to try the "Junk Shot". :eek:

[delhalew]

The mud will be pumped downhole at a higher pressure than the oil that is exiting. At least 3000-10000 psi probably a lot higher. Then pieces of rubber and other trash will follow the mud. If this holds cement will be used to seal the well. From my time in the oil patch...I know this COULD work.
The Cleanup efforts on the other hand are mind boggling. I can't believe the bumbling of cleanup and shore protection. Measured against the response thus far, I would say get Costner and his centrifuge out there. Tankers have worked before. Why they are not doing that now is unfathomable.

[GottaHavePride]

The Cleanup efforts on the other hand are mind boggling. I can't believe the bumbling of cleanup and shore protection. Measured against the response thus far, I would say get Costner and his centrifuge out there. Tankers have worked before. Why they are not doing that now is unfathomable.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100525/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill_exxon_valdez

Well, looking at BP's response to the Valdez spill - no trained response team, equipment buried under snow, improperly loading equipment barges, not having tanker barges available to empty out the oil skimmers...

I'd say their track record is absolutely consistent. Gah.

[delhalew]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100525/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill_exxon_valdez

Well, looking at BP's response to the Valdez spill - no trained response team, equipment buried under snow, improperly loading equipment barges, not having tanker barges available to empty out the oil skimmers...

I'd say their track record is absolutely consistent. Gah.

Stopping the leak-all BP.
Cleanup should have been taken over by the gov from the word go.
Between companies and countries the resources are there had the administration accepted offers to help.

[GottaHavePride]

Yeah, oddly enough I think this would be going a lot better if the government had declared it a disaster area right off the bat and stepped in to handle cleanup.

And then they should send BP the bill.

[delhalew]

Yeah, oddly enough I think this would be going a lot better if the government had declared it a disaster area right off the bat and stepped in to handle cleanup.

And then they should send BP the bill.

Egg-sackly! I feel so bad for the coon-assed fishermen down there.
On that note, I heard some fishermen were out there trying to give it a go. They got very ill from the dispursant. I'm afraid that **** will prove to be worse than the oil.

[NormanPride]

I'd think they would have some sort of backup plan ready for crap like this... I can think of a dozen ways this could have been prevented if they just had something waiting at corporate headquarters that they had to fly out there.

[GottaHavePride]

Side note - have you guys checked out the Twitter feed from BPGlobalPR?

http://twitter.com/bpglobalpr

One of the best posts: "We feel terrible about spilling oil in American waters, we'll make sure the next spill happens where the terrorists live. #bpcares"

[GottaHavePride]

Another: "Eating at a very expensive restaurant and spilled salad dressing on my pants. Not sure how to tackle this."

[delhalew]

I'd think they would have some sort of backup plan ready for crap like this... I can think of a dozen ways this could have been prevented if they just had something waiting at corporate headquarters that they had to fly out there.

The thing is NP, blowouts should never happen. There are a number of redundancies in place.
The real problem is that the world knows how to clean up oil spills. It just wasn't handled properly.

GTHP:WTF! Lmao.

[StoopTroup]

You folks better quit eating the Admiral Special at Red Robsta.

[Howzit]

The thing is NP, blowouts should never happen. There are a number of redundancies in place.
The real problem is that the world knows how to clean up oil spills. It just wasn't handled properly.

GTHP:WTF! Lmao.

But it did. This is what scares the bejeebus out of me regarding nuclear fuel, there are all kinds of failsafes so that every possible outcome is covered.

But **** happens.

[Bourbon St Sooner]

Egg-sackly! I feel so bad for the coon-assed fishermen down there.
On that note, I heard some fishermen were out there trying to give it a go. They got very ill from the dispursant. I'm afraid that **** will prove to be worse than the oil.

There were 4 fishermen that got sick working on the oil spill. The dispersants work fine on small spills without lingering environmental effects, but I fear the amount they are using here could have long term consequences. Jindal has asked the feds to stop BP from using it, but the EPA is a bunch of pussies.

[StoopTroup]

OSHA

[Tulsa_Fireman]

I'd bet a kidney that the spill has unionized.

It's the only explanation as to why it's so EEEEEEEVIL.

[GottaHavePride]

BPGlobalPR: "Our company psychiatrists say now is the time to move onto the last phase of experiencing a tragedy, acceptance mixed with forgetfulness."

[delhalew]

There were 4 fishermen that got sick working on the oil spill. The dispersants work fine on small spills without lingering environmental effects, but I fear the amount they are using here could have long term consequences. Jindal has asked the feds to stop BP from using it, but the EPA is a bunch of pussies.

A bunch of oil is bad, but not toxic. BP used a sh!t ton of that dispersant. Aside from the fact that our seafood is prolly ****ed, the summer storms might bring it inland. Prolly taint crops and crawfish as well.

[delhalew]

I'd bet a kidney that the spill has unionized.

It's the only explanation as to why it's so EEEEEEEVIL.

I knew it!!

[sooner59]

BP reminds me of this....

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.wow.com/media/2008/10/blue-facepalm-resize.jpg

[SunnySooner]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5KsXOh69pY

Check this out--Sand aggys have created some fabric thingy that not only absorbs the oil, it also absorbs contaminants and de-toxes it. Can also be made into wipeys that can be used to clean wild life, etc. There's a cool demo on the clip.

Looks like a lot better solution than hay!! How do I get this to Costner? ;)

[Breadburner]

I have already heard some libby's blaming Bush for this....How bout gettin all the folks that were on the dole from Katrina out there to start mopping it up....You know the ones that got the debit cards and hotels.....

[Breadburner]

Peat moss folks....Peat moss.....

[delhalew]

They have tons of that stuff that hangs on the cypress trees. The sand aggie idea sounds pretty cool.

[GottaHavePride]

Peat moss folks....Peat moss.....

Dammit, peat is for making scotch!

[StoopTroup]

I have already heard some libby's blaming Bush for this....How bout gettin all the folks that were on the dole from Katrina out there to start mopping it up....You know the ones that got the debit cards and hotels.....

We should plug that hole with FEMA trailers....:texan:

[Scott D]

Should plug the hole with Congress.

[StoopTroup]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5KsXOh69pY

Check this out--Sand aggys have created some fabric thingy that not only absorbs the oil, it also absorbs contaminants and de-toxes it. Can also be made into wipeys that can be used to clean wild life, etc. There's a cool demo on the clip.

Looks like a lot better solution than hay!! How do I get this to Costner? ;)

Dudes in white lab coats scare the bejeebus out of me. :eek:

Also if we could wrap an asteroid in fibertech and drop it into the gulf from space we could sop all the oil up. Cool.

[Harry Beanbag]

Should plug the hole with Congress.


Good idea. I do have some concerns about buoyancy though. The full of **** factor would have to be greater than the hot air factor, otherwise they would just float back to the surface.

[Leroy Lizard]

Unfortunately, it floats too.

[TUSooner]

This should be a link to live video of the leak.

http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/05/view_live_video_feed_of_bp_gul.html

[Harry Beanbag]

Unfortunately, it floats too.


You need to see a doctor about that.

[Leroy Lizard]

You need to see a doctor about that.

I only eat light meals.

[1890MilesToNorman]

Take 13 minutes out of your life and watch a very good explanation of what they are doing to kill this well.

http://bp.concerts.com/gom/kentwells_update24052010.htm

[Scott D]

Good idea. I do have some concerns about buoyancy though. The full of **** factor would have to be greater than the hot air factor, otherwise they would just float back to the surface.

the hot air is counterbalanced by all the dead weight taking up chairs up there. ;)

[TUSooner]

I think they need to try tons and tons and tons and tons and tons and tons tons and tons and tons of cement.

[Breadburner]

Dammit, peat is for making scotch!

My bad....Cactii...:confused: