Also a good point. On a small scale people stop flow from plastic pipe with a little bitty ram, just a piece of metal which squeezes it against another small piece of metal. The blind rams on the blow out preventers do the same thing if they are working.

It shouldn’t be a huge problem to lower a similar device to crimp it off completely in the mean time.

David just thinking of solutions

True, but the problem is not the flow but the uncontained flow. Even if it flowed more than it is now but were flowing up a pipe to a container, it would not be flowing onto Pensacola Beach.

Of course, Pensacola Beach is one of the barrier islands. They are there to form a barirer to protect the rest of us from bad weather and oil spills. Good of them.

I noticed in the paper today some sort of funnel system is being tried. I was hoping I wasn’t the only one thinking along these lines. Of course, if the line is holding up until the very end of the riser, they can put the cap/catcher over that point.

I also noticed in the paper that they don’t really know how much flow is actually happening, they are just estimating. People have used ultrasonic flow meters for decades now, so it should not be a problem to lower or install a meter on the pipe/riser. We just don’t know, the reporters don’t know what to ask.

We shall see.

Okay, you made me think of another way to deal with it:

Large inverted hemisphere or cup shape with some sort of tubing to divert the flow in a directed manner. Lower the massive hemisphere over the existing wellhead. It shouldn’t take all that long and should contain the flow.

Again, I have no idea what the pressure is but as long as the flow is diverted through the tubing to a tanker on the surface, that should be no problem.
Additional weight could be added if needed to hold it down, just lots of dirt or concrete, just anything with weight.

If the existing tubing is still there but in the way and not usable as mentioned before, shaped charges can cut it and get it out of the way.

It’s an interesting engineering problem.

If another well is needed to pump down dense drilling mud to stop the flow from the first well, why would you not want that flow stopped?

We can always use the other option: Let the well flow until it depletes the reservoir. Is that what you want?

I still don’t know why they can’t get the blow out preventers to work since they are supposed to test them every shift but this is option three for well control. (usually letting the well flow until it is depleted is considered option four or five)

If the drill string and casing are still intact, option four would be to grab the casing or pipe and raise it up enough to cover it with a larger casing through which to let the petroleum flow into some sort of container rather than just blowing out into the water.

If it’s blowing out around the casing at the seafloor, that probably wouldn’t work, of course.

David considering practical solutions and problems

Yet they didn’t close off Alaska and that was a much more closed area

We could probably do without that oil if we don’t mind going to $4.00 or $5.00 a gallon now,rather than later, as we surely will. Let’s try to keep sane,use less energy, and work through these tough times to make the equally tough choices that are ahead.

Screaming and shouting “We’re all gonna die!!” isn’t going to help matters. Keeping clear minds and engaging in reasonable discussion just may.