Oil disaster (why don't they simpy cut the pipe and cap it?

[Epidemic]

I am amazed that they do not have the tech to do this.

it would seem no challenge at all to attach a robot to the riser pipe. It is a fixed diameter and a predictable surface.

for technology today it also would not seem to be a challenge to cut a pipe remotely to a nice clean edge.

there should be no challenge in aligning a sleeve section with a valve attached over the pipe with a hydraulic robotic arm.

Clamping technology would not seem to be a challenge either and finally turning off the valve should not be difficult.

Control systems and such already exist.

Why do you think they could not fabricate something like that in a few hours let alone there should be something like this already.



School me on the subject anyone who might have a guess as to why this is not reasonably feasible

[Steve R Jones]

It would be similar to trying to cork some of the people in this forum. Just too darn much coming out to get the job done right.

[no1_vern]

The pipe is broken in 3 different places, NOT to mention it is bent all kinds of out of shape, laying where it fell on the bottom of the ocean floor ~5000 feet below the surface of the ocean.

The first/lowest is above the cutoff valve just above the floor of the ocean - the one they cant shut.

[no1_vern]

Graphic courtesy of NOLA: Breaking Local News from New Orleans, Louisiana – NOLA.com


Originally posted by Sweet in the other thread.

[Chuckiechan]

Thank you for that!

[The Real Bingo]

Since the thing isn't about to be clogged, why can't they just light a match and throw it on the oil and let it burn before it reaches land?

[GroundZero3]

Because they had problems with doing a control burn with the weather

[butch81385]

Because they had problems with doing a control burn with the weather

I'm sure it makes sense, but to the uninformed (namely me), it sounds hilarious that they are having a hard time doing a controlled burn of a oil in the middle of the ocean.... It would almost seem that there is nothing else to catch on fire for miles and miles around.... of course I realize that there is alot more to it than that (heck, do you want to be on a boat when a flaming wave comes crashing onto the deck?), but it just sounds funny when you first hear it.

[GroundZero3]

Isnt the oil hitting the LA shores now?

Weather Hampers Efforts to Burn Some of Oil Spill - NYTimes.com

Crews had been hoping that controlled burns would help ease the impact of the oil reaching the fragile Louisiana coast. The process, called an in-situ burn, consists of corralling concentrated parts of the spill in a 500-foot-long fireproof boom, moving it to another location and burning it. It has been tested effectively on other spills, but weather and concerns about marine ecosystems can complicate the procedure.

A burn does not get rid of the oil entirely. It leaves waxy residue that can either be skimmed from the surface or sink to the bottom of the ocean.

[Widespread Panic]

Rham Emanuel said it best fellas.

"you never want to let a crisis go to waste. What I mean by that, is that a crisis allows you to do things that you normally would not be able to do otherwise."

[Steve R Jones]

hmmmm. So even though we can't eat all the dead animals/fish/birds caused by the crisis we can still have a big BBQ anyway...Count me in - NOT.

[mrniceguy]

I'm surprised they can't get a vaccume type dredger or something to suck up some oil.

[mad1]

The London-based energy giant, under pressure from Washington to limit the damage, completed the first of three massive steel and concrete domes it will try to place this week over one of three leaks nearly a mile under the water's surface.

BP struggles to stop Gulf of Mexico oil leak

[Epidemic]

The pipe is broken in 3 different places, NOT to mention it is bent all kinds of out of shape, laying where it fell on the bottom of the ocean floor ~5000 feet below the surface of the ocean.

The first/lowest is above the cutoff valve just above the floor of the ocean - the one they cant shut.

the break after the blow out preventer is where I am talking about


I would think they could build a robot that attaches to a pipe... Cut it. and cap it with a valve. once capped they could shut the valve and begin corrective action.


I envision a device that clamps on to the pipe. using remote cables like rov. cuts the pipe, now you have one leak.

now on that clean cut you slip over a coupling clamp it and on the coupling you have a valve that you shut.

the operation seems rather easy. of course they don't have this robot but it does not seem like an overly complex one to build. attach a robot to the pipe drive to the desired location run a blade around the pipe like those copper tubbing cutters on steroids. attach a second robot drive it to the scene and with a hydraulic arm slip a coupling in place.

Even if the tech does not exist today. shouldn't it be possible and even rather simple when dealing with the budget of an oil company.

A hell of alot cheaper than allowing an oil leak for weeks.

[Epidemic]

Ok so they are trying to do my method. although I think they are having a problem because they are not using my model robot

they are using them floating things when they should just clamp on to the pipe.


BP working to cap one of three leaks in oil spill | NBC13.com

[nickslick74]

What you are missing Epi is that this pipe is 5,000+ feet down. They can't just send any 'ol robotic submersible down there to cut a pipe and place a cap over a high pressure oil leak. Plus, the end of the pipe by the failed shutoff is not easily accessible, there is a lot of other equipment at the pipe base to work through.

[Steve R Jones]

WOW Epi - you're a famous guy. You type a few thoughts and before you know it BAM - you're in the News. COOL.

[Epidemic]

What you are missing Epi is that this pipe is 5,000+ feet down. They can't just send any 'ol robotic submersible down there to cut a pipe and place a cap over a high pressure oil leak. Plus, the end of the pipe by the failed shutoff is not easily accessible, there is a lot of other equipment at the pipe base to work through.

well you see they did already accomplish the primary task of going down there. and cutting the pipe off. they just did it by the far end.

the 5000 foot thing is a problem but BP has lotsa dollars and they have mastered it. but I suspect that they are using a floating platform to cut and cap the pipe which I would think would be much more difficult than a robot attached to the pipe.

I am not saying I could do it but I suspect that I could direct a team how to make a machine that could clamp onto a pipe and manipulate a sleeve on a pipe in extremely adverse conditions. As far as the wreckage on the bottom there you have me. so far I have only seen renditions of it which indicate the pipe fell down relatively sideways and is laying across the bottom with the rig some distance away from the blowout preventer. Obviously that could be a bad representation.

[brandon184]

Epi, what the heck are you talking about?

Even with hundreds of millions of dollars at your disposal, these things take time, not only to plan an implementation but to carry out an implementation. You're talking about building what would actually be a very large, potentially complicated tool that has to be able to be remotely controlled in adverse conditions where even the controllers themselves may not have a solid idea of what the environment is like. BP America's President said, "This is like doing open-heart surgery at 5,000 feet in the dark,". Adverse conditions including total darkness, manipulating vehicles around a large wellhead that is leaking pressurized oil and probably a lot of debris.

[SiliconJon]

Oil executives shift blame at Senate hearing - washingtonpost.com