Comments on: Oil Spill Update: A Saw Gets Stuck; Will Oil Be Leaking at Christmas?

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By: Corinna Laforge

Corinna Laforge — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:20:05 +0000

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By: bp sucks

bp sucks — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 02:22:50 +0000

BP and the US GOVERNMENT SHOULD HAVE FIXED THIS ALREADY

By: FRANK SAYS

FRANK SAYS — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 22:13:11 +0000

I don’t know for sure, but would surmise that as the saw was making the kerf in the pipe it got to a point that the force of the oil gushing out caused the diamond tipped blade to bind. Possibly they could just saw deep enough into the pipe to cut through and then reposition the saw and do it again until they had worked around the pipe.
Ergo! The pipe is cut and time to begin the capping.

By: Leviev

Leviev — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:35:28 +0000

i agree with steve it seems like a simple enough idea i couldnt imagine that they wouldn’t have thought of that though.

By: Adam

Adam — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:31:38 +0000

They people with the consipiracy theories about BP WANTING the oil to keep leaking are out of their minds. This will set their company, and off-shore drilling in general, back decades. They’re also not only losing millions of dollars of oil per day, but losing even more money in environmental damage.

Besides- they’re already drilling TWO new wells within yards of the existing well. They really don’t need that particular f***edup hole.

Trust me- they really want to stop this thing. It’s in everyone’s interest.

[Moderator's note: Edited the cuss word.]

By: Mel

Mel — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 14:24:04 +0000

Sheers will not leave a smooth cut. Not sure what the thinking is.

By: Mel

Mel — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 14:13:24 +0000

Just a thought!!!

I have worked in the mechanical trades for over 20 years. When I saw the diamond wheeled saw It reminded me of the saw we have in the shop and like most saw they do not like to be in a bind. Bp was harping on a smooth cut. I must agree. I believe in order to this they should move up on the pipe and make a rough cut. To keep the saw from binding they would need to reposition the saw as it break through the pipe. Once the heavy end is severed you can lower the saw down and continue with smooth cut. This should keep the saw from binding.

I am not sure why they have not tried cutting the bolts. It seems just as doable as sawing the pipe.

By: fatkid

fatkid — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 08:57:28 +0000

We have literally wiped out 90% of ocean life in little more than 100 years. Pemex devastated the envirenment profoundly, now this spill is shaping up to pass any ever seen.

We are like the frogs boiling to death because they dont know theres a flame under their pot. If the oil were pumped and not spilled, it doesnt just vanish. We eat drink and breathe the stuff.

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 06:01:24 +0000

Here are some pics of what I am trying to explain.. “It aint rocket science.” There must be a reason they are not doing this, but I don’t know what it is!
http://eu.trinos.com/katalog/bilder/detail_iso-f.jpg
http://www.laminadielectrics.com/images/apps-flangeinsulationkit.jpg
http://www.herngsing.com/images/products/strainers/Simplex%20Bolted%20Blind%20Flange%20Strainer%20-%20sideview.JPG
http://search.aol.com/aol/imageDetails?s_it=imageDetails&q=bolted+flange&img=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.herngsing.com%2Fimages%2Fproducts%2Fstrainers%2FSimplex%2520Bolted%2520Blind%2520Flange%2520Strainer.JPG&host=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.herngsing.com%2Fstrainers.html&width=93&height=124&thumbUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fimages-partners-tbn.google.com%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dtbn%3AuLRK2I1fSRY3JM%3A%3Awww.herngsing.com%2Fimages%2Fproducts%2Fstrainers%2FSimplex%252520Bolted%252520Blind%252520Flange%252520Strainer.JPG&b=image%3Fq%3Dbolted%2520flange%26flv%3D1&imgHeight=400&imgWidth=300&imgTitle=Simplex+%3Cb%3EBolted%3C%2Fb%3E+Blind+%3Cb%3EFlange%3C%2Fb%3E&imgSize=32196&hostName=www.herngsing.com

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 05:37:18 +0000

They are cutting the pipe right above a bolted flange. Why can’t they cut the bolts, remove the top of the flange, send down a new top end already equipped with a shut off and bolt it down, close the shut off. That would allow them to stop the leak and tap into the top of the shut off to commence pumping. Perhaps they do not have the dexterity to put nuts on bolts at that depth but replacing the top half of a flange is plumbing 101. http://www.laminadielectrics.com/images/apps-flangeinsulationkit.jpg

By: lee

lee — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 03:58:02 +0000

Send sponge Bob to soak up all that oil.

By: richard

richard — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 03:55:20 +0000

my god havent they heard of mighty putty yet?

By: Wesley

Wesley — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 03:52:38 +0000

I have an idea to stop the spill. How about just waiting till it runs out? Is the reservoir really that big anyway? At the rate it’s flowing out it should run out in a few months or a year, and than BP can just harvest oil right off the water instead of all the messy business of having to drill for it, which apparently they aren’t that good at anyway…

The unemployed fishermen can start casting their nets for crude instead of fish! They’ll probably earn more! I really don’t see where the downside is in all this

By: Brian Too

Brian Too — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 02:06:20 +0000

The whole time this is going on, BP is losing money, losing reputation, and losing time. Suggestions that BP “wants” the spill to continue make no sense to me at all. BP is going to be living this down for the next 10 years. Even their competitors are going to be down on them for creating additional regulations (very likely now) and a less cozy relationship with regulators.

The problem I would suggest, isn’t a lack of ideas. I’ll bet they have dozens, and hundreds more impractical ones. By all means submit yours, but it’s going to compete in a crowded field.

It’s like computing. There are scads of ideas and not enough resources to try them all. You pick the best ones and implement as effectively as you can. Is it possible to miss a good one? Of course! Would that discarded good one be better than what you chose to go with? Ah, that’s the real question. What’s the opportunity cost? And there’s no sure way of knowing, even if the “winning” idea fails. The “losing” idea might have failed too.

By: Nick

Nick — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 23:39:26 +0000

I’m a mechanical engineer so I have an understanding of the science about what BP is doing. Trust me…those guys would trade their left nut to be doing something besides fighting that beast. What they are trying to do is extremely difficult. You’d better believe that BP’s goal is to stop oil from flowing into the ocean… and start flowing into their tankers. Our focus needs to be asking “WHY” it happened in the first place and making the responsible ones accountable for this world-class blunder.

By: Karyn

Karyn — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 23:08:00 +0000

and folks Our Adminsitration is supporting BP’s thinking – afterall criminal investigations AT THIS TIME is merely a distraction – should be shelved until after the flow is contained. MAKE NOISE email the Government demanding resolution until they do.

By: Karyn

Karyn — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 23:05:00 +0000

Hi Joe Mauldin and the World –
The reason they can’t “Plug the Hole” is they would loose all that precious liquid cash…… loose access. I have been told that even the product syphoned off the surface can be processed and sold. As usual its the evil $ that will keep this animal alive.

By: nick

nick — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 22:52:28 +0000

Guys, you’re missing the point here. BP doesn’t want to plug the well, the want to fix it and get it operational so they can make money off of it. That’s why they’re doing one useless thing after another. Until they’re actually trying to stop it and not just get it working this will never end.

By: Adam

Adam — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 22:34:36 +0000

Two suggestions to stop the leak…

1) Stick a pipe with an expandable tip down the well, and expand it until it’s plugged. This could be a tight-fitting expandable bladder filled with high-density mud, or it could be a pipe that splays open at the tips like a veggie steamer.

2) Place a grate over the pipe, then re-do the “junk shot”. That junk needs something to snag on.

By: John

John — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 21:41:15 +0000

BP pumped mud down a pipe to attempt thier top kill. This pipe had to be quite large as they pumped a very high rates (65 bpm). This mud entered below th blind rams which they were unable to plug with thier junk shot and a portion of the mud came out the BOP’s. the remainder of the mud was pumped down the wellbore. It would seem simplle to flow the well up this pipe as the seawater is exerting a pressure of near 2400 psi at the BOP’s and the flowing oil and gas gradient would be sufficiently light enough to allow a quite high flow rate. If the pressure at the Bop’s was pulled down below the seawater pressure the BOP’s could be plugged from the outside and the well flowed at a sufficient rate to stop the spill. I have attempted to submit this idea to BP but have not had any responce

By: Art

Art — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 21:34:56 +0000

If you have an idea, unless you’re trying to get rich, just paste it anywhere you can, and maybe someone with some pull will see it, and implement it.

By: Wil Ferch

Wil Ferch — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 21:22:19 +0000

If there are any ideas you’d like to submit for consideration to mitigate or fix the Gulf oil leak, here is a website specifically set up for this. Holy Smokes!…. it took only about a 5 minute search on the internet to find this. What do you you mean there is no way to get a message heard?

http://www.horizonedocs.com/index.html

By: Karyn

Karyn — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 21:21:15 +0000

Clint – I too would like to hear your idea.

By: Joe Mauldin

Joe Mauldin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 21:14:48 +0000

Here’s an idea. There’s no reason why BP can’t simply back-fill the well with Portland cement using a high pressure pump. Portland cement is a hydraulic cement which means that it sets and hardens due to a chemical reaction with water. Consequently, it will harden under water. Once the leak has been sealed, BP can tap into the same oil deposit by drilling a new well. This is a very practical and cost effective solution to the problem.

By: Ray Peterson

Ray Peterson — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 21:00:36 +0000

Clint
I would like to hear more about your cure.
Thanks,
Ray

By: Brandon

Brandon — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:56:31 +0000

WE NEED CAPTAIN PLANET!!!

By: Mike McCurley

Mike McCurley — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:33:03 +0000

This is the first “good” news I’ve heard. If Pemex took 9 months to plug their leak, and that one didn’t kill the Gulf, hopefully it’ll survive this one, although I bet the people in Louisiana aren’t real impressed with that thought. Mother Nature sure is being patient with her idiot children…

By: clint sawyer

clint sawyer — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:07:55 +0000

I have a simple inexpensive sollution, that would even keep the well a viable well, but no way to be heard.