Oil Leak at Gulf of Mexico Oil Well

[Guest greenzen]

Thank God for the Internet. In 1999 Transocean Offshore merged with Sedco Forex Drilling to become Transocean Sedco Forex Inc.

[Luke_Wilbur]

These two disasters are way too eerily similar. Blowout preventer(BOP) failing, thousands of gallons of oil leaking, fires burning, toxic disbursements sprayed above, miles of boom placed around slick, wildlife dying, fishing and tourism industry destroyed, all managed by the same player Transocean Sedco Forex Inc. Even the Alaska pipeline was shut down during the same period.

 

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=P-4oooyqe_8

Edited June 2, 2010 by Luke_Wilbur

[Guest Get a Grip]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

. GetAgrip; your group did blame the Republicans for Katrina. Don't type bull to me; you can type your bull to the folks out there that you think are idiots.

 

The United States government is the leader in the Air, Sea, Land, but this administrations management skill is that of a low level manager.

 

The oil spill happened under a democrat administration, and people like you getagrip still want to blame the republicans.

 

It shows just how toothless you are getagrip. It looks like you need to get a grip on reality.

 

You're comparing apples to centipedes: Katrina was a natural disaster (read: Act of God) whereas the blown out Deepwater was a result of lax government oversight in the safety department. "Keep the government off our backs" is a main rallying cry for Republicans.

 

Deepwater Horizon= preventable

Hurricane Katrina= not preventable

 

What, in your estimation, would the Great Bush be doing to stop the flow of oil?

[Guest Dirty Bush]

Bush would do what he always did...

[Guest James D]

George Bush is a true American! Leave him alone!

[Guest Biomass]

Let's move forward, not backwards.

 

Here is a all Natural Solution to Gulf Oil Spill -- Clean up with this ready to use biomass product. The reclaimed oil can be used to create energy. This is a renewable, agricultural product that can absorb 800 gallons of oil per ton. It is environmentally safe and available for immediate application.

 

Please watch our promotional video, soon to be on this same channel, for more information about Show Me Energy Cooperative and our biofuel pellet. Feel free to call our offices in Missouri: 660-656-3780 and visit our website: http://www.goshowmeenergy.com

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZw_bs4WdA0

[Guest LAW]

More than 20,000 ideas on how to stop the flow of oil or contain the oil spill have been sent to BP since the Gulf of Mexico incident. These ideas have flooded in from people across the world, ranging from ordinary members of the public to oil industry professionals, and in many languages from Arabic to Russian.

 

http://www.horizoned...com/artform.php

 

This form is to be used ONLY if you wish to submit an Idea or Alternate Response Technology for containing the Source or Spill in support of the Deepwater Horizon Incident. An attachment containing technical details can be included with the form. If more than one attachment is required, they must be compressed into a single zip file.

 

http://www.horizoned...com/pseform.php

 

This form is to be used ONLY if you wish to submit Products, Services and/or Equipment in support of the Deepwater Horizon Incident. The Products, Services and/or Equipment form implies they are commercially available and you have these immediately available, including experienced implementation resources.

[Guest BP]

BP today announced that it supports the U.S. government’s decision to proceed with the construction of six sections of the Louisiana barrier islands proposal. The company will fund the estimated $360 million it will cost to construct the six sections.

 

BP will not manage or contract directly for the construction of the island sections, nor will the company assume any liability for unintended consequences of the project. The company plans to make payments in stages based on the project’s milestones.

 

“BP is committed to implementing the most effective measures to protect the coastline of Louisiana and reduce the impact of the oil and gas spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The federal government and the state of Louisiana have agreed that the barrier islands construction is an effective response to the spill, and we look forward to working with them on this project,” said Tony Hayward, BP’s chief executive officer.

 

BP already has provided $170 million to Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida to help with their response costs and help promote their tourism industries. The company also has paid approximately $42 million in compensation to people and companies affected by the spill.

[Guest greenzen]

The Minerals Management Service granted a new drilling permit sought by Bandon Oil and Gas for a site about 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana and 115 feet below the ocean's surface. It's south of Rockefeller State Wildlife Refuge and Game Preserve, far to the west of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that triggered the BP spill.

 

Also, the U.S. government asked a federal judge to reject a bid by Deepwater Horizon owner Transocean to use a 159-year-old law to cap its liability at $27 million for environmental claims tied to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Bloomberg News reported.

[Guest GOHSEP]

Dear President Obama and Secretary Salazar:

 

I am writing to express my grave concerns regarding the severe economic impact of a six-month (or longer) suspension of activity at 33 previously permitted deepwater drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, including and in particular the 22 deepwater drilling rigs currently in operation off the Louisiana coast.

 

Already, Louisiana has suffered severe negative economic and ecological impacts from the BP oil spill. Our seafood industry is experiencing huge economic losses that have only been partially mitigated by a frustratingly slow and inadequate BP claims process. Moreover, our precious wetlands are suffering incalculable, permanent damages, while our tourism industry faces escalating losses.

 

During one of the most challenging economic periods in decades, the last thing we need is to enact public policies that will certainly destroy thousands of existing jobs while preventing the creation of thousands more.

 

The Louisiana Department of Economic Development estimates that the active drilling suspension alone will result in a loss of 3,000 to 6,000 Louisiana jobs in the next 2-3 weeks and potentially over 10,000 Louisiana jobs within a few months. If the suspension of active drilling activity continues for an extended period, LED estimates that our state risks losing more than 20,000 existing and potential new Louisiana jobs in the next 12-18 months.

 

Obviously these losses would come on top of those already generated by the spill and its related effects. Moreover, the announced moratorium of deepwater drilling activity creates a significant risk that many of these drilling platforms would be relocated to other countries -- along with the hundreds of high paying jobs that they each create.

 

Additionally, I fully understand the need for strict oversight of deepwater drilling. However, I would ask that the federal government move quickly to ensure that all deepwater drilling is in proper compliance with federal regulation and is conducted safely so that energy production and more importantly, thousands of jobs, are not in limbo.

 

Thank you in advance for your swift consideration of this request.

 

Sincerely,

Governor Bobby Jindal

[Guest Virgil]

The Democratic majority strongly supports efforts to hold BP accountable, while the Republicans favor blaming Obama and giving BP a break. In fact, Rand Paul, a rising (and falling) Republican star, described the Obama administration's tough stance on BP as "un-American."

 

A competing proposal from Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and David Vitter (R-La.) would have BP cement its promise to pay by submitting a legal contract defining which claims it would take responsibility for. In theory, it makes sense to outline a set of standards instead of an arbitrary number for claims, but the motivations behind this legislation make it a dubious proposition. Both Murkowski and Vitter have expressed concerns about the impact of high costs on the oil industry, indicating that the details of their bill might actually shield BP from a high payout.

 

http://www.stanforddaily.com/2010/06/03/editorial-bp-must-pay-the-full-cost-for-damages-caused-by-gulf-oil-spill/

 

Senator Lisa Murkowski blocked a legislative effort to raise the cap on BP's liability in the Deepwater Horizon leaking wellhead catastrophe. Senator Murkowski stated her dismay on Obama administration's decision to impose a one-season delay on exploration in Alaska's Chukchi and Beaufort seas.

 

[Guest BlingBling]

Lisa Murkowski wants to limit British Petroleum's liability to $75 million. Shifing massive cleanup costs away from BP's deep corporate pockets to the American taxpayers. This all while big oil corporations post record profits. Isn't it amazing? Gee I wonder why Fox news is not reporting this story.

[Guest BlingBling]

Republicans Block Big Oil to Pay Bill

 

 

AMERICAN TAXPAYERS WILL HAVE TO FOOT THE BILL

[Guest BlingBling]

This message is for all voters. Remember this one statement when elections come up this November,

 

Republican corruption caused this mess. Republican corruption wants you to pay for this mess.

[Guest Maggie]

I certainly believe that your blanket statement does not include all Republican's in it sheets. Especially Republican voters.

[Guest LAW]

S.3305

Big Oil Bailout Prevention Liability Act of 2010 - Amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to increase the liability of the party responsible for an offshore facility, except a deepwater port, from which oil is discharged into or upon navigable waters or adjoining shorelines to the total of all discharge removal costs plus $10 billion (currently, $75 million) for each incident.

 

Makes this Act effective on April 15, 2010.

 

5/4/2010:

The bill has been read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

 

Full Committee Legislative Hearing: S.3305, The Big Oil Bailout Prevention Liability Act of 2010

 

Wednesday, June 9, 2010 10:30 AM EDT

EPW Hearing Room - 406 Dirksen

[Guest LAW]

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 -In the evening, an explosion occurred on the DeepWater Horizon oil rig. Out of the 126 people aboard the rig, 17 people were injured and 11 are presumed dead. The rig, located 41 miles off the coast of Louisiana, was leased by BP from Transocean Ltd. There was no mention of any possible spill. President Obama was alerted.

 

Wednesday, April 21, 2010 -US Coast Guard held a press conference at 3:00 p.m. According to Transocean VP Adrian Rose, "There was some abnormal pressure build-up before the fire. The fire basically was a blow-out, though the cause has not officially been determined." Also from Rose: "Deepwater Horizon crew had drilled the well to its final depth, more than 18,000 feet, and was cementing the steel casing at the time of the explosion." Deputy Secretary of Interior David J. Hayes was deployed to the Gulf Coast to assist with coordination and response to the event.

 

Thursday, April 22, 2010 -At 10:22 a.m., the oil rig sank. "Worst case scenario, there is a potential environmental threat," said Coast Guard spokeswoman Katherine McNamara. BP began response efforts in conjunction with Transocean and initiated plans to drill a relief well. CEO Tony Hayward said that BP was doing "everything in our power to contain this oil spill and resolve the situation as rapidly, safely and effectively as possible." US Senator Mary Landrieu called for a US Coast Guard, MMS investigation.

 

Friday, April 23, 2010 -On Good Morning America, Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry said, "No oil appeared to be leaking from the wellhead at the ocean floor, nor was any leaking at the water's surface. That being said, we have positioned resources to be ready to respond should a spill occur... We will continue to monitor 24/7 for the next several days." The rig was found sunken and upside down approximately one quarter mile northwest of the blowout preventer. An oil sheen was reported with approximately 8,400 gallons estimated on the water, although no apparent leak was discovered. The Coast guard called off the search for the 11 missing workers.

 

Saturday, April 24, 2010 -US Coast Guard held a press conference where they announced for the first time that oil was leaking. "About 1,000 barrels a day are emanating from the wellhead into the water," and "this has the potential to be a major spill," Mary Landry said. One leak was located on the riser and another on the drill pipe. US Coast Guard elevated response. Flyovers indicated that there was a different oil sheen than the one immediately following the explosion, according to the Coast Guard.

 

Sunday, April 25, 2010 -Inclement weather delayed clean-up efforts. Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles (ROVs) were sent in to plug leaks. Alternative plans were drawn up to drill an intervention or relief well. According to the Coast Guard, up to 1,000 barrels were leaking per day.

 

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 -Workers began the first controlled burn to minimize the amount of oil that would reach shore. NOAA revised estimates of oil leakage to five times as much as first thought. BP officials discovered another leak. US Coast Guard erected 9,000 feet of containment rings.

 

Thursday, April 29, 2010 -Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency. That morning, the spill was roughly 16 miles off the Louisiana coast and stretched across a 600-mile area. Modeling showed the slick could reach parts of the coast by later that day. Senator Inhofe released a statement on Gulf oil rig accident.

 

The White House held a press briefing on the oil spill in the Gulf Coast.

 

Saturday, May 01, 2010 -The Obama administration named Admiral Thad Allen, the retiring US Coast Guard commandant who directed recovery operations during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, to direct efforts.

 

Sunday, May 02, 2010 -President Obama made a trip to the Gulf area. BP's Chairman Lamar McKay blamed failed equipment for the spill.

 

Monday, May 03, 2010 -BP said it would take financial responsibility and released a fact sheet.

 

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show to discuss the spill.

 

Tuesday, May 04, 2010 -BP attached a shut-off valve to one leak and worked to attach cofferdams to the others. BP officials met with House Energy and Commerce members and estimated that there could be, in a worst case scenario, up to 60,000 barrels per day leaking into the ocean. A story in Houston Chronicle highlighted Transocean's elimination of bonuses for senior Executives in FY 2009 due to safety concerns. The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works announced that it would hold a hearing entitled, "Economic and Environmental Impacts of the Recent Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico."

 

Wednesday, May 05, 2010 -A successful controlled burn was conducted as part of the response effort.

 

Thursday, May 06, 2010 -Oil reached shore at Chandeleur Islands, a small group of uninhabited barrier islands off the northeast of the Mississippi Delta.

 

Friday, May 07, 2010 -BP began to lower the containment dome in an attempt to capture leaking oil. Senator Inhofe announced the launch of his "Information on Gulf Coast Oil Spill Emergency Response." Link to webpage

 

Saturday, May 08, 2010 -Efforts to place the containment dome to capture leaking oil were unsuccessful. Tar balls were reported on Dauphin Island (Alabama).

 

Sunday, May 09, 2010 -US Attorney General Eric Holder dispatched Justice Department officials to determine whether there had been any "misfeasance" or "malfeasance" related to the Gulf oil spill.

 

Monday, May 10, 2010 - BP prepares to lower a second, smaller containment dome. A story surfaced in the Times-Pacayune that a gas surge shut down the well several weeks prior to the incident.

 

Tuesday, May 11, 2010 - Senior Executives from BP, TransOcean and Halliburton appeared before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works as well as the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar announces that MMS, Minerals Management Service, will split into two divisions: royalties and safety/oversight.

 

Wednesday, May 12, 2010 - BP prepared to place a smaller containment dome over the leak. An investigation at the Energy and Commerce Committee in the House of Representatives found that "the blowout preventer that failed to stop a huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico had a dead battery in its control pod, leaks in its hydraulic system, a "useless" test version of a key component and a cutting tool that wasn't strong enough to shear through steel joints in the well pipe and stop the flow of oil."

 

Thursday, May 13, 2010 - Transocean, Ltd. filed a petition seeking to limit its liability using a law from 1851.

 

Friday, May 14, 2010 - Tar balls were discovered along the beach at Port Fourchon, LA.

 

Saturday, May 15, 2010 - EPA approved the direct application of oil dispersants in deep water at the source of the spill.

 

Sunday, May 16, 2010 - An AP investigation claimed that MMS did not adhere to its own policy as it conducted 16 fewer inspections aboard the "Deepwater Horizon than it should have under the policy." Oil company engineers succeeded in siphoning off some of the leaking oil by "hooking up a mile-long tube to funnel the crude into a tanker ship."

 

Monday, May 17, 2010 - President Obama announced that he will name an independent commission to investigate the spill. The top federal official that led regulatory efforts of offshore oil drilling at MMS, Chris Oynes, announced his retirement.

 

Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - Federal regulators increased the federal waters in the Gulf where fishing is shut down because of the spill. Senate Committees on ENR and EPW were held on the Gulf Coast Spill and Secretary Salazar and Senator Landrieu commented on the Liability Cap:

 

KEN SALAZAR, Secretary Of The Interior: "t Is Important That We Be Thoughtful Relative To That, What That Cap Will Be, Because You Don't Want Only The B.P.s Of The World Essentially Be The Ones That Are Involved In -- In These Efforts, That There Are Companies Of -- Of Lesser Economic Robustness." (Energy And Natural Resources Committee, U.S. Senate, Hearing, 5/18/10)

 

KEN SALAZAR, Secretary Of The Interior: "The President Has Sent A Request To The Congress To Lift The Amounts On The Liability Limitation, But That Exact Amount Should Be -- Should Take Into Consideration The Kinds Of Facts That You Are Alluding To Here, Senator Inhofe, and so that's why the administration will engage with the congress and will figure out where the appropriate limit should be set. That's why there was not a specific number that was sent forth." (Environment And Public Works Committee, U.S. Senate, Hearing, 5/18/10)

 

SEN. MARY LANDRIEU (D-LA): "But The Question Of This Liability Issue Going Forward -- I Want To Commend You [sec. Salazar] For Taking Your Time To Decide On The Right Answer, Because If We Don't Do This Correctly, We Could Put Independent And Smaller Companies That Employ 1.8 Million People In This Country At Risk, If This Issue Isn't Handled Correctly. So With All Due Respect To My Colleague, Who I Have The Utmost Admiration For, Senator Menendez And Others That Are Calling For Unlimited Liability, It Will Put Out Of Reach The Possibility For Insurance, Which Is Extremely Important For This And Any Industry To Have To Operate. So It Has To Be Done In The Right Way, And I Thank You For Taking Your Time On The Details Of That." (Energy And Natural Resources Committee, U.S. Senate, Hearing, 5/18/10)

 

Wednesday, May 19, 2010 -Interior Secretary Salazar announced a plan to replace the Minerals Management Service with two bureaus and a revenue collection office: The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Office of Natural Resources Revenue.

 

Thursday, May 20, 2010 - Senator Begich commented on the liability cap proposal:

 

"Well actually if you read the President's comments today he actually made a comment that the 10 billion depending on the situation we may get ourselves into only working with mega oil companies so we've got to be very careful. I think both Senator Murkowski and I have talked about this issue. We both agree that 175 million is too low but 2 to 10 billion may be too high and there should be a calculation based on the volume the kind of size of the company, the assets, the profit margins all those things should be put in the mix. 175 million is ..." (Matt Felling) "So you're against the catchall one-size-fits all 10 billion as well?" (Senator Begich) "Yeah I think that might be too high but I'm not saying but 175 is way way way too low. We should examine and I think that is what Senator Murkowski is attempting to do here is try to examine the right type of mix here. I'm open but 175 I guess the number speaks for itself it is way way too low." (View from the Hill, Interview of Senator Begich by Matt Felling, 5/20/10)

 

Friday, May 21, 2010 - An oil-industry task force developed recommendations to change offshore safety procedures. EPA ordered BP to utilize less-toxic, more effective oil dispersants if available. BP started finalizing plans for the "top kill" procedure to stop the flow of oil.

Saturday, May 22, 2010 - The Obama Administration named former Florida Sen. Bob Graham and ex-EPA Administrator William K. Reilly to lead the Presidential Commission investigating the Gulf Coast spill. EPA released a document that highlighted BP's decline to switch oil dispersants.

 

Monday, May 24, 2010 – LA Gov. Bobby Jindal called on the Obama Administration “to approve an emergency permit for a state plan to dredge and build new barrier islands to keep the oil from reaching the marshes and wetlands.” EPA ordered “BP to ‘take immediate steps to significantly scale back’ its use or find alternatives to the dispersants being used to break up the oil spilled.

 

Wednesday, May 26, 2010 – BP admitted their decision to continue work on the well after a test indicated there might be a problem was a mistake. Inspector General of the Interior Department issued a report on MMS indicating there were inappropriate relationships and behavior between employees and the companies being overseen.

 

Thursday, May 27, 2010 – President Obama held a press conference on his Administration’s response to the spill. He also extended the deepwater drilling moratorium (exploratory wells) for six months and canceled a lease sale off Virginia. Liz Birnbaum, head of MMS, resigned. Adm. Thad Allen approved a proposal to build sand berms to protect the LA coast.

 

Saturday, May 29, 2010 - BP's "top kill" effort deemed failure.

 

Monday, May 31, 2010 - A "federally convened group of scientists" recomended BP and the U.S. continue spraying dispersants into the ocean. BP began its third attempt to contain leaking oil, which will involve "slicing off the leaking pipe at the top of the well's broken blow-out preventer, placing a cap over the leak and channeling the captured oil and gas to a vessel on the surface."

[Guest Oil Company Bailout?]

A detailed picture of the weeks and hours leading up to the explosion.

 

Deepwater Horizon was not an extractive oil rig, but an exploratory rig. When it exploded on April 20 it was in the process of completing its exploration by capping the well it had bored some three miles below the ocean floor, before moving on to another exploration site. This required the rig to plug the oil well and separate its riser piping from the wellhead to the rig. A separate rig would later have come to access the sealed wellhead.

 

Deepwater Horizon’s exploratory drilling had been troubled by unusually frequent and forceful contact with explosive natural gas deposits, known in the industry as “kicks,” workers say. Only weeks before the fatal explosion, so much gas forced its way up the well bore and onto the rig platform that an emergency freeze was placed on many activities aboard the rig in order to avoid triggering an explosion.

 

According to one worker’s account, submitted to professor Bea, “at one point during the previous several weeks, so much [gas] came belching up to the surface that a loudspeaker announcement called for a halt to all ‘hot work,’ meaning any smoking, welding, cooking or any other use of fire. Smaller belches, or ‘kicks,’ had stalled work as the job was winding down.”

 

“As the job unfolded ... the workers did have intermittent trouble with pockets of natural gas,” another rig employee reported to Bea. “Highly flammable, the gas was forcing its way up the drill pipes. This was something BP had not foreseen as a serious problem, declaring a year earlier that gas was likely to pose only a ‘negligible’ risk. The government warned the company that gas buildup was a real concern and that BP should ‘exercise caution.’”

 

The day of the explosion, engineers reportedly argued over whether or not to remove dense drilling mud from the well bore, replacing it with much lighter sea water. Normally this step is taken only after a second cement plug is hardened in the piping, a process that takes several hours. Until this plug is fully installed, heavy mud is the first line of defense against kicks and “blowouts,” when oil and natural gas surge up the bore to the rig platform.

 

The decision was taken to replace the mud before plugging the well, even though this would increase the chances of an explosion—and even though the operation failed a critical pressure test the same day, BP and Transocean executives admitted to the House Energy Committee. This clearly reckless decision to press forward was very likely done to protect BP’s profit interests, both because it paid rig owner Transocean an estimated $500,000 per day for use of Deepwater Horizon and its crew, and because it was anxious to bring the new well into active production.

 

A worker told the Wall Street Journal that the crew was in fact preparing to drop the cement plug down the riser—standard procedure—when the order came to instead pump out the mud. “Usually we set the cement plug at that point and let it set for six hours, then displace the well,” he said. The worker told the Journal that this dangerous change was first cleared with the MMS. The MMS refused comment on this very mysterious, and detrimental decision to change the proceedure.

 

It is likely that this decision combined with the failure of two other lines of defense: cement outside the well bore’s piping under the ocean floor, which is designed to prevent natural gas from moving up the bore and the riser to the rig; and the blowout preventer, a massive piece of equipment that sits on the ocean floor and is equipped with powerful hydraulic shears whose task is to sever piping in the event of a blowout.

 

Halliburton, which contracted for the cement and mudding work on the rig, had deployed a new chemical cement that it said would be resistant to structural damage caused by methane hydrates, which were present in the undersea rock in high quantities. But Bea, an expert with decades of experience in oil extraction engineering, said that when he saw the formula for Halliburton’s cement, he said “Uh oh.”

 

Bea told the Times-Picayune that Halliburton had produced “many excellent papers” that claim “because of the chemicals they’ve added, they think the cement can cure rapidly.” But Bea explained that the same chemicals they added likely gave off too much heat, thus thawing gases lodged in the rocks from their methane hydrate form and sending them up the bore and riser.

 

When the cement failed, gas began to force its way up the riser. At this point, concrete well plugs in the pipe should have blocked the gas. But contrary to normal practice, the final plug had not been installed, and the salt water was not heavy enough to stop the high pressure gas from rising.

 

On the evening of April 20, a geyser of seawater erupted onto the rig, shooting 240 feet into the air. This was soon followed by the eruption of a slushy combination of mud, gas and water. At this point workers knew they were in danger because the mud could only have come from 10,000 feet down, Bea said. On the rig, the gas component of the slushy material quickly transitioned into a fully gaseous state and then ignited into a series of explosions and then a firestorm. Workers immediately attempted to activate the blowout preventer, but it too failed.

 

Ironically, at the very moment of the explosion, a select group of BP officials had recently helicoptered to the rig, and gathered for a celebration with the staff, marking seven years of a “spotless” safety record. Those at the party were thrown violently to the floor by the force of the explosion.

 

REFERENCE 1

[Dan Terry]

SOLUTION to the leak.

 

[Guest Walter C.]

Let's move forward, not backwards.

 

Here is a all Natural Solution to Gulf Oil Spill -- Clean up with this ready to use biomass product. The reclaimed oil can be used to create energy. This is a renewable, agricultural product that can absorb 800 gallons of oil per ton. It is environmentally safe and available for immediate application.

 

Please watch our promotional video, soon to be on this same channel, for more information about Show Me Energy Cooperative and our biofuel pellet. Feel free to call our offices in Missouri: 660-656-3780 and visit our website: http://www.goshowmeenergy.com

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZw_bs4WdA0

 

Looks like a great idea!

[Guest Walter C.]

SOLUTION to the leak.

 

 

Another good idea, but the top rocket would have to be a big one to overcome the upward pressure of the open well gusher, and it would also probably need to be stabilized in order to "go on straight."

Maybe I'm wrong ...

[Guest Dan Terry]

Another good idea, but the top rocket would have to be a big one to overcome the upward pressure of the open well gusher, and it would also probably need to be stabilized in order to "go on straight."

Maybe I'm wrong ...

The four smaller rocket boosters around the circumference provides the vertical stability (by the angle set of the boosters) while also rotating the screw in.

[Guest Walter C.]

The four smaller rocket boosters around the circumference provides the vertical stability (by the angle set of the boosters) while also rotating the screw in.

 

Ah yes I forgot about rotational/gyroscopic effect on vertical stabilization, but would the angle of the rockets have to do with lateral stability or would it be the spinning motion per se?

[Luke_Wilbur]

I do not think you will get enough torque to turn the head.

 

Why not just connect an octagon ring around the well head and piece it together like a three dimensional puzzle. We can use the technology we have from NASA and NOAA and BP. Robots would torque down the screws of the well head. It can be zippered up and clamped down and reinforced by adding more and more layers. We can put a goose neck made of the same lego-like pieces. Then we could coil steel lines around the well head and for finally pour concrete on top of the well head.

[Guest Dan Terry]

I'd think that 1.12 million newtons of thrust from say any one of several J2 (Saturn V type) engines would be more than enough to create the torque necessary and though I'm not a physicist my guess is that the thrust would have to be turned way down to avoid ripping the five story wellhead apart with too much torque.

 

A rocket engine's thrust, or other such controlled explosion is probably the only realistic way to overpower the pressures of the situation at the depths of the wellhead and the pressures of the underwater gusher. The Russians resorted to Atomic bombs and they weren't even dealing with the kinds of depths and pressures of this nightmare mess on the ocean floor. But keep the ideas coming. Someone has to solve it or the whole gulf will be a giant oil puddle and the Gulf Stream will take the mess across the Atlantic to stain the white cliffs of Dover black.