Frosting on the Cap ??

Aero · Post by **Aero** » Wed Jun 23, 2010 5:46 pm

I read a link on the "good post" that explained why the oil leak is getting bigger as time passes. Initially it was a very small hole gushing high pressure oil, gas and sand which abraded the hole and over week's of time made the hole bigger but still not very big relative to the high pressure oil and gas reservoir feeding the leak. That was informative.

Now, why do the capture devices ice up? Does it have something to do with the fluid pressure drop at the exit of the leaking channel from the high pressure reservoir deep in the Earth?

zapkitty · Post by **zapkitty** » Wed Jun 23, 2010 10:55 pm

The methane clathrates (hydrates) are a natural feature at that depth and pressure. The problem is they clog up the pipes when you suck in an oil/methane/water mixture... which is what the cap has to do.

Thus the antifreeze features built into the cap.

As I understand it an ROV accidentally damaged those antifreeze mechanisms and the cap had to come off or be blown off... any corrections are welcome

KitemanSA · Post by **KitemanSA** » Wed Jun 23, 2010 11:59 pm

Nope. You pretty much nailed it.

kunkmiester · Post by **kunkmiester** » Thu Jun 24, 2010 12:27 am

Can you inspire formation of the hydrates? Theory being, you'd seed the fractured rock which is currently the worry so that the "ice" forms, and fills the cracks thus blocking the seepage. It'd be a potential problem later, but it might give another option.

KitemanSA · Post by **KitemanSA** » Thu Jun 24, 2010 4:07 pm

Needs lots of water, and I suspect there aint that much in the cracks.

KitemanSA · Post by **KitemanSA** » Fri Jun 25, 2010 11:48 am

How bout just putting a big enough baggie over the blasted thing to capture the leaking oil and then pump it into waiting tankers and bring it to market where it was wanted in the first place???

I'm talking BIG F'ING BAGGIE. Base maybe 200m-500m across and height maybe 1000m. That'll collect a lot of oil.

Have a float valve to burp off the gaseous methane if need be (to prevent it from just lifting off the sea-bed).

Yes, wisea$$, you'll need to hold it down against the buoyancy of the oil and methane.

Aero · Post by **Aero** » Fri Jun 25, 2010 12:22 pm

DavidWillard wrote:
KitemanSA wrote:How bout just putting a big enough baggie over the blasted thing to capture the leaking oil and then pump it into waiting tankers and bring it to market where it was wanted in the first place???

I'm talking BIG F'ING BAGGIE. Base maybe 200m-500m across and height maybe 1000m. That'll collect a lot of oil.

Have a float valve to burp off the gaseous methane if need be (to prevent it from just lifting off the sea-bed).

Yes, wisea$$, you'll need to hold it down against the buoyancy of the oil and methane.
How about collecting all those darned methane producing cows, freeze em solid to save the Earth from Global Warming (LOL), and junk shoot them into the hole. If all the cows on the Earth don't do the trick, there is always all the lawyers, gamblers, high finance bankers, and politicians that could be used also. (deliberate hanging preposition offense pun intended)

Because the cows are to big. The hole is more nearly mouse sized, its just under a lot of pressure, over 10,000 psi I seem to recall reading. Couldn't even get all the crap from one cow into a hole that sized, let alone from a politician.

KitemanSA · Post by **KitemanSA** » Fri Jun 25, 2010 4:37 pm

Yous guy jist aint gettin it. PLUGGIN the hole is just plain stoopid. We don't want to NOT get the oil, we want to GET the oil. Well, there it is. Catch it and sell it. Oi, vat a concept!

zapkitty · Post by **zapkitty** » Fri Jun 25, 2010 5:19 pm

KitemanSA wrote:Yous guy jist aint gettin it. PLUGGIN the hole is just plain stoopid. We don't want to NOT get the oil, we want to GET the oil. Well, there it is. Catch it and sell it. Oi, vat a concept!

Reality:

If the well is not stopped it will keep eroding the bore until the entire reservoir is open to the Gulf... and thus the entire reservoir will be in the Gulf. It is buoyant and under pressure and has no particular reason to stay down in the rock.

Not that it will stay in the Gulf once it's loose...

While that amount wouldn't make a big difference to our insane demand for petroleum to burn it would be quite the extinction event for the Gulf and large portions of the Atlantic.

The only amusing part will be when it reaches Great Britain... does BP have offices within sight of the coast?