As the oil continues leaking virtually unabated from the wellhead at the seabed floor a month after the Deepwater Horizon rig accident, BP is receiving plenty of suggestions on alternative ways to deal with the leak and oil spill. According to BP’s Deepwater Horizon response page, nearly 8000 ideas have been submitted.
“It’s a real mix,” Spokesman Graham MacEwen said of the suggestions BP receives. “A lot are coming from people who are in the industry and have expertise. We’re getting ideas from everyone — even stars,” he said.
Actor and environmentalist Kevin Costner, who invested in developing an oil-separation technology after the Exxon Valdez spill, has been in touch with BP and his company’s technology is under evaluation, MacEwen told The Faster Times Monday by telephone. According to this May 20 article, BP hoped to start testing six of Costner’s oil separators in the water as soon as late last week. MacEwen said skimmers are the best techology at the moment for removing oil from the surface.
As for the evaluation of technical suggestions, MacEwen said BP first checks that they’re not already being used because that’s the case 50 percent of the time. If not, BP looks at the feasibility. Then, if it’s practical and not being used, the idea is discussed with the person concerned.
“Everyone gets a response,” MacEwen said, “but we ask people to be patient. We’re getting thousands of suggestions, but everyone will get a response in due course.”
A demonstration video of hay’s ability to absorb oil from two Florida contractors has received ample web attention and, as a result, several media outlets have covered the story. The contractors said they’ve received offers from people eager to donate bales of hay and they emphasize that the hay they advocate using is wheat straw and not for cows. BP’s MacEwen said he hadn’t heard of this specific idea, but he had heard of hay being used in oil response before, so their technique may well be under consideration.
In a media email response to the hay idea, Myron Sullivan II, who has industry expertise on oil spill responses, wrote “it would have good, but limited applications … only if huge amounts of hay were immediately available at the source of the oil spill disaster… and only for relatively small oil spills. The current BP Deep Horizon oil spill disaster is far, far too big and way beyond control.”
Sullivan, who developed the AEROS system and started Global Response Group (GRG) based in Vancouver, Canada, further explained that there are other technical drawbacks to hay as a routine solution to offshore oil accidents, such as the infeasibility of storing enormous volumes of hay near all of the 800 or so offshore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil spill response system GRG has patented (but not yet built), the AEROS System, would be delivered quickly by plane from response bases and parachuted to the oil spill location. This system was briefly discussed in a prior article and The Faster Times promised to follow-up with more details on technical assessments of the system.
At this point, we can report that a GRG prospectus provides the names of two engineering companies, Trident Engineering Ltd of Texas and Cyclotech Ltd in the UK, which have positively assessed the technology and produced a 350-page feasibility study. The prospectus also states that GRG is contracting with China to build the first AEROS system as the result of GRG winning a competition in August 2009 held by the Chinese National Petroleum Corporation.
The GRG prospectus emphasizes that many existing oil spill response solutions could be used in combination with its technology to contain and remove oil spills. And Sullivan said in his email that hay could be a good complement to the AEROS system.
The hair booms that made news soon after the oil slick began to encroach on Gulf coastal areas were declared inferior to regular sorbent booms after a technical evaluation and won’t be used, BP said. The company wrote: “In a February 2010 side-by-side field test conducted during an oil spill in Texas, commercial sorbent boom absorbed more oil and much less water than hair boom, making it the better operational choice.” BP further explained that commercial sorbent boom is readily available, scientifically designed and tested for oil containment and absorption on the water, and response teams know how to use it. Moreover, a source in this article said the hair booms might break apart causing more pollution.
So, individuals should stop collecting hair, BP says, but suggestions on alternative response methods are welcome via BP’s Deepwater Horizon Response website or its technical advice hotline.
MacEwen said he wasn’t sure of the origin of the hair boom idea or why it spread so rapidly when it wasn’t approved for use. “We found that these would not be effective in this case. People are obviously frustrated and want to help in any way they can. What we want to do is ensure that what we put in place is as effective as possible and in that case it unfortunately wasn’t,” he said.
Marine Biologist and Exxon Valdez expert Riki Ott said in a media teleconference earlier this month that the oil industry is basically using the same response technologies as it did 40 years ago.
BP’s MacEwen said in response: “I think it’s not true to say that we haven’t updated the technology.” He said that the types of dispersants currently in use are far less dangerous to the enviroment than in the past and that several methods used in the Deepwater Horizon response are new.
While research and development has been ongoing, it is fair to say that the kind of high-tech innovative oil clean up methods discussed in this article have yet to be widely developed.
Lessons in cleanup were taken from the Exxon Valdez oil spill, especially that removing bulk oil and providing exposure to air maximizes oil degradation from natural agents, obviating the need for additional chemical products, according to the NOAA website.
Advice Photo by laughlin; Hay Photo by Special; Oil Boom Photo by Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection
Megan Harris
Megan Harris has contributed to several English-language media outlets in Europe and was a correspondent for United Press International covering mainly security and energy news. ...
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More on these topics:
BP, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf Oil Spill, hay, Kevin Costner, oil cleanup technology, skimmers
ed marx says:
This is a two part idea---First build a large containing ring much like the ring on your finger,add sides to this ring about 10 ft. high.Cover the sides with either perforated plate or expanded metal to allow water flow.Around the bottom of the ring attach on two feet long spikes at about six foot intervals. Place the containment ring center of the leak and allow the spikes to embed into the bottom of the sea to keep it in place.A notch will need to be placed in the ring to go over the oil pipe.---The second part of the idea is to make a vessel as large as possible so when filled with sand bags the ships crane can handle it.Make the vessel flat on the bottom so it will be self supporting. Make the bottom in two pieces and each one hinged to be open remotely.The vessel should be smaller in dia. then the ring.Now pick up the fully loaded vessel and hang directly over the center of the leak and containment ring.When positioned dump the load of sand bags., continue with dumps until the leak is smothered.The containment ring will control the pile of sand bags and keep it in position.
Joyce says:
Hay is not the same as straw. Hay is grass or other plants, such as clover or alfalfa, cut and dried for fodder. Straw is stalks of threshed grain such as wheat, oats, rye used for many purposes.
Dr. Dennis Spence says:
The real tragedy is that ideas that come from outside the oil industry are not considered in a timely fashion unless one has a name like Kevin Costner. Two days after the incident, I contacted several oil companies about a simple two-stage device I developed (patent pending) using proven medical and space technology (both are difficult environments) which could be constructed and accurately deployed on site in 48 hrs. It is simple with few moving parts, no hydraulics or electrical elements, constructed of ordinary materials, is pressure neutral at depth, can be deployed from a fixed (rig) or moving (ship) base and is minimally affected by currents during deployment. It could be placed on all offshore rigs as an emergency containment device but also has applications in the area of exploration of offshore seepage sites. It actually would work well with the Kevin Costner centrifuge on the surface, but unfortunately, Mr. Costner is as difficult to contact as those with authority in the oli industry.
Dr. William H. Penney says:
Seal the hole with 100 feet of glass which is crreated by at least 3 nuclear event which are triangulated over the well.---6129875077
John koenig says:
I called BP with a suggestion. The operator said she would send me a form via email. That was a week ago. No form.
I have an idea that I am convinced will work. Maybe it is too simple.
Build a DOME heavy enough to overcome the pressure of the oil. Lower it over. Cap it off.
May not be a perfect solution. But wouldn't it stop upwards of 90% of the problem?
Then go in afterwards with filler. Or even put a valve in and pump the oil up to the surface.
I will try BP again but am posting here in the hopes that someone else may also run with it and solve a nasty problem that effects us all.
charlie Btrown says:
FREEZE - Compress liquid nitrogen and inject through a pipe inserted deep into the broken pipe. As the compressed liquid nitrogen is released under pressure it should refrigerate the oil to a solid state.
Brad Warner says:
I was passing a sign, I think it was for a tax business in Chicago called Liberty, anyway the sign was a plastic tube with an air blower at the bottom. Once the blower was turned on the tube straightned out bout 30 ft high and flapped around a lot. It reminded me of the video feed of the spill. So why cant a plastic tube or maybe a series of jointed large PVC sewer pipes 6ft in diameter be moved over the leak. The PVC is bouyant I think and should be easy to move.They can build the tube down by attaching it to the existing pipe that goes down to the ocean floor with some ringlets. So adding these Sewer pipes made from PVC extending down section by section till it gets close then detach the ringlet that attach the sewer pipes to the existing oil rig pipe this will allow the whole contraption to bend the same way the sewer pipes can go on an angle. Once the lowest portion is placed on top of the leak (probable doesnt even need to be a tight fit) since the oil rises it will rise thru the pipe and can be captured at the top. Maybe this will be temporary or permanent. We get the oil and use the leak as though it was designed this way. All of the equipment required already exists no invention needed, should be cheap. This would be much easier than trying to fight mother nature. Go with the flow.
Mike Booth and Chan Pratt says:
We have been working on this Idea for the past two weeks and believe it will allow the pipe to be plugged and allow space for collecting Oil after the plugging process is compleate.
Thanks Mike and Chan
Plug this hole
Michael Cunningham says:
put a tapered sleeve with a shut off valve over the broken pipe, weld it in place ,try to close the valve-if the pressure is to great add another sleeve and try the shut off valve again this should reduce the pressure enough to add another sleeve if need be
Ivan Fanton says:
I would design a metal or concrete walled box with 4 sides . The box would have to be modular so it can accomodate a roof system after the initial slow of the spill. Fill 100 yard envelopes out of nylon or stronger material that is flexible . Submerse the envelopes in the water a thousand feet or to the point of possibility and fill envelopes with concrete . This would cut down on concrete seperation. Control the descend of the envelope into the containment box where it would harden and form to the box. After the flow is slowed design a collection efficient roof system that could manage the flow by pumps or vacuums.
Dick Lee says:
Put a shape charge explosive around the pipe and detonate it. This could be done in steps as to not fractuer the pipe but gradually reduce the diameter. Even if it did not stop the flow it might make it possable to clog the pipe and seal it.
Joe Poole says:
Least Damage, In Shortest Time Theory, . .
Sink Slick, . .Spray with Concrete Dust, . .
Keeping it off of Birds, and Wild Life.
I wanted to send you an illustrated concept for Oil Spill Surface Theory for solution.
Can't do it with this form, but at one time the Atlantic City Press did a couple of articles about a concept that I sent to the MSRC,
Marine Spill Response Corporation appointed by the government to intercept technical concepts that were headed for the EPA
during the Prince Edward Valdez Spill.The idea eventually was developed, (conceptually), to be a net the size of commercial seine
and is called a
purse seine, these are large enough to sail a ship into, my development had 4-6 foot boom borders and the net was a fine net
and would contain a large spill while it can be pumped out.
It was rejected by the MSRC, but they would not tell me why, I told them that wasn't the way to develop technology,
if I don't know why it isn't acceptable, then how can I improve it. They told me that they did not have to answer that question.
Anyway my theory at this late date saving as much as possible is spraying the slick with concrete powder,, theoretically
it would sink the oil where it would ball up on the bottom and roll into the surface where it can be picked up in globular balls.
Dr. Dennis Spence says:
One other thought for all concerned, including BP. From the very start, guidelines should have been established explaining what type of ideas have a practical application in the harsh environment of 4 degrees C., 2000+ lbs/sq. inch of pressure, and the remoteness of the site. Ideas involving inflating rubber hoses, tubes etc. is not practical at that depth, nor is an implosion or sealing with direct placement of concrete. Many ideas of what to do once the oil reaches the surface are indeed of value, but implementation is a factor plus potential for increased environmental damage. Many good ideas have the possibility of sharing elements with other good ideas and becoming great ideas, if only a proper clearing house were established. Often simple minds can come up with simple solutions for complex problems if only given a chance.
Brad Warner says:
One reason that I recommend a pipe or tube (large PVC serwer pipes) placed over the leak so that the oil rising can be captured at the surface instead of attempting to cap the leak, is because most of the other suggestions I have seen may be difficult to back out of if they fail. Remember this is a pressure packed problem and any attempt to stop the flow at the location of the compromised well could blow out in other locations where a weak spot exists. Therefore once again, A Tube to direct the rising oil (oil rises in water) may be the easiest to implement and easiest to back out from solution. If it doesn’t work then the equipment can be scuttled without compromising future attempts. For example if you compare the video feed of the spill a couple of weeks ago before the current efforts began the oil was rising in a fairly constant plume upward, now the oil is spewing out from the sides of the cap in all directions. Hopefully the cap can be removed or opened to allow the oil to flow upward again and even better possibly set up like a spiget on a garden hose. Now the video looks like a garden hose with my hand placed at the end and everyone gets wet. The tube or pipe I suggested earlier can still work. comments? suggestions? Thanks.
My earlier post follows:
I was passing a sign, I think it was for a tax business in Chicago called Liberty, anyway the sign was a plastic tube with an air blower at the bottom. Once the blower was turned on the tube straigtned out bout 30 ft high and flapped around a lot. Why cant a plastic tube or maybe a PVC series of jointed large sewer pipes be moved over the leak. The PVC is bouyant I think and should be easy to move.They can build the tube down by attaching it to the existing pipe that goes down to the ocean floor with some ringlets. So adding these Sewer pipes made from PVC extends down section by section till it gets close then detach the ringlet that attach the sewar pipes to the existing rig pipe this will allow the whole contraption to bend the same way the sewar pipes can go on an angle. Once the lowest portion is place on top of the leak since the oil rises it will rise thru the pipes and can be captured at the top. Maybe this will be temporary or permanent. We get the oil and use the leak as though it was designed this way. All of the equipment required already exists not invention needed.
donnybrook says:
Enviro Voraxial Technologies, www.evtn.com has a proven oil/water seperator in use by the US Navy, Mobil Oil, ConocoPhillips that is 17 times more efficient that the Kenvin Costner antique toy that does 200 gpm.
BP and Obama are playing politics with us as the Gulf of Mexico dies right before our eyes. Obama should be empeached for allowing the trillion dollar distruction that is on the horizon, this is truely America's armeggedon
azmi says:
suggestion methods and tools kits that used to clean-up oil spills on the surface of water and land.