Discussion on:

BP plugs oil leak with a tube, but it's not a solution

What if the tube being inserted had a inflatable outer surface, that
once inserted into the broken pipe and inflated against the interior
surface of the damaged would seal space between the outer face
of the tube being inserted and inner surface damaged well pipe.

Julio Cordoba
e-mail julcord@aol.com

from the onset BP's actions have reeked of salvaging the well for the profit rather then sealing it off to protect the lives of gulf coast anilmals and business. what a dissapointment that our gov. has not taken a firm hand in protecting its citizens whos livelyhood depends on these watters. i can not believe that it could not have been shut down sooner. another protect big business and screw the rest. this will be another fiasco like the alaska spill. the lives of the those that rely on the gulf for their livelyhood will be destroyed and even if a judgement is levied on them BP will keep it suspended in the courtroom just like exon and no one will get restitution. what has the news media done, keep pouring a little honey on it to make it look like they are truly trying to fix it when in fact their only concern is dammage control in the media.

Taking this long to plug a leak is unexceptable. Mr. Cordoba, great minds think a like. If engineered and done properly with a valve that will work.

I think the best solution is to cut the pipe and fit a "roustabout" fitting
with a victallic valve. I know this pipe is a long way down - but it can
be done with a remote submersible equipped with the proper tools

I work in a clinic where we angioplastis a balloon is entered in the artery and blown up once inside I think a large balloon inserted in the pipe and then blown up to seal the pipe would work...Ralph

Maybe a solution. Why not try to drill a hole to the side and then drill a hole in to the pipe below the where the leak is and try to plug it that way. just as you would if someone was stuck in a well, drill a hole in side ways to pump in oxygen, why cant the same thing work for the oil leak.

To control the oil coming out of the well until some method is devised to stop the leak; like a hot air balloon, place a large empty fabric (of appropriate strength material) bag over the leak, allow the bag to fill with oil, when full remove bag and replace with a new bag. These proceedures should be easy enough to do using a remote controled devise. Take these full bags away from the area and then pump the oil inside of them into tankers. Some oil will escape when switching bags but nothing compaired to what is being lost now. Even if you have to change this bag every couple of days it is still better than allowing the oil to spill freely into the water. Pass this on, it will work.

I think closing the pipe while it is under high pressure is impossible or will take a very long time.
In the meanwhile, or possible as a final solution, huge 40 feet containers should be used to capture all the all getting out.
Seal 4 or 5 huge 40 ft. containers next to each other. Then Burn out their bottoms and interior sides, in order to become one very big 'square' container or cover with closed sides but without a bottom. Make a huge hole in the top and construct/attach a huge pipe upwards on it, a pipe that finally much be attached a big pump, sucking up all the oil/water that is underneath the container. Put this huge funnel above the leaking pipe, at the bottom of the sea. It works like a big 'vacuum' cleaner'.
It is a very simple solution, that does not take very much time to construct and will suck all oil up to the surface. Very often work the best.
Why do i got the impression that it is BP 's interest to not close the leak? dirk@dirk.be, Belgium

Hello,
Maybe they can bring in the pipe a rubber balloon, pumped up with air (like dottering a bloodvain). The balloon will close the pipe.
They can bring in the balloon with a smaller pipe, through which they pump the air.