# Deepwater Horizon Wellhead Cap Box



## MB (Mar 6, 2006)

Hey There,

I learned today that there may be ( for lack of a better description ) a well head box being constructed as I write here that will have an umbilical cord ( a flexible pipe / hose ) connected to the top of the box that will allow the leaking wellhead to vent into the box up through the hose / pipe to some type of rig / boat ? and stop the spill.

Does anyone here have any knowledge or pics of this box?

If this is real ........ and works ............ there will still be a slick, but the open valve ( wellhead on the sea floor ) would not be leaking into the ocean any more thus reducing the environmental impact. This sounds very promising ..... I hope this is real .......

*MB*


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## luna sea II (Jul 11, 2009)

they are working on it right now. evidently it's been done in shallow water but nothing close to this depth before.


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## Cody C (May 15, 2009)

Think happy thoughts that this works. Over else it could be a rough couple of decades... :/


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## [email protected] Sportfishing (Jun 10, 2005)

I will be praying for this to work! Good luck to all that are working on it!


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## surf_ox (Jul 8, 2008)

http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931

picture of welders on this site fabricating it


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## hillbilly deluxe (Jun 7, 2007)

It may work till the first Hurricane or TS. Then what spill starts all over again???????? Good idea hope it works till they get it capped off.


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## oldtrackster (Jul 20, 2007)

Man I hope this is true and works. If it did work hurricanes would seperate the umbilical but surely it could be hooked back up. Then you would have oil leaking a few days during the event but then stopped. Better than just gushing for the next three months while relief wells are drilled.


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## MB (Mar 6, 2006)

surf_ox said:


> http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931
> 
> picture of welders on this site fabricating it


Thanks for the link surf_ox....

Here are 2 pics of a box from the link .......

BTW: If this started on or around April 26th why hasn't the Media or the ruling Government officials reported on this??????

May be it's just me, but I think this should be all over the air waves!!!!

*MB*

Pic # 1
PORT FOURCHON, La. - The base of a pollution containment chamber is moved to a construction area at Wild Well Control, Inc. in Port Fourchon, La., April 26, 2010. The chamber will be one of the largest ever built and will be used in an attempt to contain an oil leak related to the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon explosion. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Third Class Patrick Kelley.

Pic #2
PORT FOURCHON, La. - A welder fabricates a portion of the BP subsea oil recovery system chamber at Wild Well Control, Inc. in Port Fourchon, La., April 26, 2010. The chamber will be one of the largest ever built and will be used in an attempt to contain an oil leak related to the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon explosion. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Third Class Patrick Kelley.


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## Fishin Fast (Oct 13, 2008)

They need to plug the hole, not just cover it with a box. That is the stupidest thing ive ever heard. Im no engineer, but I can see through this. They'll act like its fixed, but its really like putting a band-aid on cancer. This is half-*** in my book. :headknock


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## 1st_rate_mate (Oct 12, 2004)

Thank you officer Kelly.
National news reporting assignment of 600 national guard; resources from homeland security together with US naval air services. Any signs of local deployment?
Also, any word as to ETA of replacement platform? Where and when approximately.
Finally - anything regarding logistics of the umbilical?

jb


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## Ledslacks (Jul 21, 2009)

A half #[email protected] fix is better than waiting 3 months with no fix, until the other rig is set up to relieve pressure. I think the box thing is a brilliant idea: hopefully it will contain most of the oil, "funnel/direct" it up to the top (if the flex hose can sustain those deep-water pressures (I think it'll have to be a hard-pipe)), and then once the oil is at the top, in a containment barricade, they can vacuum it from the holding area to near-by anchored tankers.


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## Calmday (Jul 7, 2005)

Fishin Fast said:


> They need to plug the hole, not just cover it with a box. That is the stupidest thing ive ever heard. Im no engineer, but I can see through this. They'll act like its fixed, but its really like putting a band-aid on cancer. This is half-*** in my book. :headknock


What would you recommend?
It's not supposed to be a fix. It's just a way to catch the spilling oil until they can kill the well.
You should ask a few questions before making yourself look stupid with comments about something that you know nothing about.


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## Never easy (Mar 20, 2006)

its worth a shot!!! might slow it down at the very least, and might buy them some time to get it fixed right. hope it works!!!


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## Slightly Dangerous (May 21, 2004)

I too think that anything is worth a shot. Relief wells will take a lot longer than 3 months at that depth and there is no guarantee that they can intersect close enough to control the blowout on the first attempt. I've been on blowout relief projects in the Arabian Gulf and even at a shallow depth it is very difficult. Those people will have a hard job on their hands for sure.


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## DavidCorpusTX (Aug 11, 2005)

Fishin Fast said:


> They need to plug the hole, not just cover it with a box. That is the stupidest thing ive ever heard. Im no engineer, but I can see through this. They'll act like its fixed, but its really like putting a band-aid on cancer. This is half-*** in my book. :headknock


Sometimes those who don't have a clue what they are talking about should just keep their mouths shut. They might learn something.


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## Timemachine (Nov 25, 2008)

I have been a subsea engineer for decades and currently work for one of the biggest engineering companies in the world. That being said....

this type of containment has been used many times althought nothing this large. It will collect the oil, not solve the problem. Solving the problem will take a little longer but every engineer in the US is watching this. 

We are humans living in a hightech world with hightech needs resulting in hightech problems, hightech mistakes and eventually ... hightech solutions. 

GET "ER DONE!!!

Monday is the start of the OTC (Offshore Technology Convention). I'm sure that this accident will be the #1 topic all next week.


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## Texas Jeweler (Nov 6, 2007)

I can tell some of those posting on here have NO CLUE as to what it takes to close off a runaway well. One of my contacts over at Wild Well is all over this project and I hope the men and women working on the solution all the best.

Stopping all production in the Gulf is unwise and a terrible decision for the Administration. Go to TTM here and listen to a guy that was on the rig when the event occurred. Nature bet engineering. Very rare, but it is dangerous business, to say the least.


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## ML56 (Dec 30, 2008)

DavidCorpusTX said:


> Sometimes those who don't have a clue what they are talking about should just keep their mouths shut. They might learn something.


Very true, let those that know, attempt the fix.Can you imagine the current spill being only 1/2 the size it is now? Stopping even a percentage of the spill would be great. A skimmer system with the catch boxes may stop the spill at present level. GOD speed to the guys building and attempting to set them.-Mike


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## MB (Mar 6, 2006)

I watched / bounced between several of the talking head shows this morning. On the Fox News local channel 26 Chris Wallace had U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano, Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Ken Salazar on to comment on the spill and clean up efforts. There was also a member of the US Coast Guard on the show which I did not wright down his name .... sorry

Not one of these officials were asked or offered any comment as to the construction and use of the containment box being built by BP / Wild Well Inc. we have pics of here.

Again may be it's just me but I believe this containment box being built is the " BIG STORY ".

I also think it's the responsibility of the Government to support and REVEAL ALL the containment efforts being developed rather than to conceal the very one that may work in the short term.

Chris also asked if the Federal Government was going to take over this whole effort " like in the EXXON VALDEZ spill " and the responce was no.

*MB*


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## willyhunting (Apr 21, 2006)

MB said:


> Chris also asked if the Federal Government was going to take over this whole effort " like in the EXXON VALDEZ spill " and the responce was no.
> 
> *MB*


Thank God!


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## REELING 65 (Aug 18, 2009)

Mossy Oak said:


> I will be praying for this to work! Good luck to all that are working on it!


X2


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

As an old off shore hand I have some feel for the problems. The worse solution would be for the government to take over the well control project. They can provide people and lots of borrowed money to aid in the onshore containment and clean up. But for gosh sakes keep them off the vessel and rigs that will be deployed on the well site. This is a place for the experienced and innovative people working in the offshore industry.
Their work will be hard enough without the red tape and chain of command that the government agencies would bring to an already complicated issue.
I set a containment unit over a leaking pipeline off the mouth on the Yellow River in China in 1997. It worked very well in 600 ft of water. The principle is sound but the water depth and volume of oil in the accident will be a real challenge.


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## Mont (Nov 17, 1998)

The comment about the umbilical hose being strong enough for the pressures is off base a bit. The pressure inside the hose will be the same as outside of it if both ends are left open. The biggest issue will be supporting a mile of vertical hose/pipe. That's a lot of weight and it will try and tear itself apart. Good luck to everyone involved. I hope like heck it works and gives the relief drillers some breathing room.


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## drfishalot (Sep 9, 2004)

they HAVE been talking about this for several days in the media, I believe. I think it is the "dome" they have been speaking of. sounds like a great idea. hoping for the best.


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## texas32 (Jun 16, 2005)

Sunbeam said:


> As an old off shore hand I have some feel for the problems. The worse solution would be for the government to take over the well control project. They can provide people and lots of borrowed money to aid in the onshore containment and clean up. But for gosh sakes keep them off the vessel and rigs that will be deployed on the well site. This is a place for the experienced and innovative people working in the offshore industry.
> Their work will be hard enough without the red tape and chain of command that the government agencies would bring to an already complicated issue.


Could not agree with you more.


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## B-Money (May 2, 2005)

I did the math. The number is 314. That's how many front-line lawyers would fit in that box right before it was deployed. 

Think of the $avings to the shareholders and tax payers if I am right.

Another article a few days ago said it takes at least a couple of months to drill a relief well once a new rig is on site. That box may only need to work for about 6 months.

It will be great history following this story. Americans are geniuses when we switch into "get r dun" mode.

Were any of the 11 lost crewmen 2Coolers??

b


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## nhampton (Aug 8, 2007)

It's been done before in the Gulf with Ixtox and Pemex in the Bay of Campeche in the 80's. That was a lot shallower and they called it a sombrero instead of a containment box. I think the "flowline" will need to be largely made of pipe because if working properly you will have oil on the inside and seawater on the outside. Oil pressure gradient .2 to .35 psi/ft seawater is .45 psi/ft. so at the sea floor you could have 1250 psi differential to the inside of the flow tube. Don't believe you could get a large enough diameter hose to withstand this. Then they will have to get a vessel with the ability to support the pipe over the wellhead then a production vessel and storage vessels capable of handling the volumes of fluid being produced until they can get another semi on location with a riser section fabricated for this location. The containment box will probably be weeks to a month away, but will definitely be better than 3 to 4 months for a relief well. The best short term solution is still to get the ROV to get the BOP's to work. That should instantly stop the flow and let them focus on clean up and let the semi get on location and permanently plug the well.


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## buzzard bill (Jan 21, 2010)

*Already Being Done*

Can't give any details due to a confidentiality agreement but BP and several very good engineering firms have been working around the clock to do exactly what nhampton has suggested. If it works it could be a great interim solution to contain and collect the oil until relief wells can be drilled and a permanent fix can be done at the existing well-head.


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## hillbilly deluxe (Jun 7, 2007)

i sure am glad i will not be working on that other rig that has to drill in to this one.


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## Ted Gentry (Jun 8, 2004)

Mont said:


> The comment about the umbilical hose being strong enough for the pressures is off base a bit. The pressure inside the hose will be the same as outside of it if both ends are left open. The biggest issue will be supporting a mile of vertical hose/pipe. That's a lot of weight and it will try and tear itself apart. Good luck to everyone involved. I hope like heck it works and gives the relief drillers some breathing room.


Mont, what about the pressure/temp diffrence between 5000 feet below sea level and surface. An umbilical cord will face 2000 to 4000 psi at the surface, it will need to be choked down and I'd bet a line heater would be in order to keep everything from freezing up. It's not as simple as a garden hose running back to the surface. Sure would be nice if it was, hope this all works out for everyone real soon.


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## 1st_rate_mate (Oct 12, 2004)

Tranocean pioneering "dual drilling".
Offset accuracy reportedly one in three.

Why not drill from different approaches in stages simultaneously?
This would improve the odds of shortening the duration of loss to containment.

I believe these ships are designed for exactly what rhamptom describes?
Reported heave is <7 feet in 10,000.

Where are these ships and how fast can they get here?
What other platforms could be brought in? Drill 3 at once?

http://www.offshore-mag.com/index/ar...o-operate.html

The Transocean Offshore Discoverer Enterprise drillship undergoing final outfitting at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi.


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## MB (Mar 6, 2006)

*Big Media*

It looks like Big Media is talking about the box today .... which is a good thing. BP's CEO also said they were injecting dispersants ( did I spell that right???? ) at the wellhead to help. The conainment box or boxes ( there may be more than one ) will be deployed by the end of the week, so there may be an end to the leak soon. I hope someone here can post up pics of this operation. Capping the well this way ( and we all hope it works ) truly will make History and hopfully save the enviroment and jobs.

MB


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## 1st_rate_mate (Oct 12, 2004)

is anyone aware of better than 3 to 1 odds of hitting the relief offset?
would it not make sense therefore to drill from 3 sites simultaneously to speed solution?

also, should the government be providing industry support approach rather than pointing blame at TO & BP? this could happen to anyone at any time. seems to me that DHS has a clue but nothing definitive in terms of emergency action plan.

i am hopeful that TO receives unlimited support and some assurance of financial relief.
the environmental damage should be minimized at ALL COST regardless of economic consideration. way too much for any one company to bear - should be spread across the industry and passed on to consumers as a cost of doing business. 

TO is a key element in protecting US national energy security. let the politicians make hay but let's not loose sight of the problems we THE CONSUMERS face.

I for one have been arguing environmental issue for years. Deep Horizon is point in case. Alternative energy technologies need to be deployed in an acelerated manner. Another subject.


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## luna sea II (Jul 11, 2009)

I read on a oilfield forum that the enterprise is standing by with a BOP stack along with a special connector. the is a "deep sea intervention vessel" in route that will attemp to disconnect the riser from the damaged BOP and set the new BOP on top of it. 
let's pray it works.


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## WilliamH (May 21, 2004)

I heard on CNN these collection boxes could take a couple of weeks to be set in place. 

Is that true?


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## Scott (May 24, 2004)

Nope, heard they will go in by the weekend and they are drilling two relief wells at the same time - up the odds.


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## Swells (Nov 27, 2007)

Scott said:


> Nope, heard they will go in by the weekend and they are drilling two relief wells at the same time - up the odds.


Yessir, and the winds and waves have laid down so now all he boats are out, maybe 2-3 foot waves. I think two of the boxes are done and a third is being fabricated at Port Fourchon. They still have over 6 ROV submarines working on the blow-out preventer - the hydraulics have been fixed but she's still acting ornery.



> *May 4, 2010 Operations:*
> 
> Total Vessels (including tugs and skimmers): 196
> Boom deployed: 486,940 feet
> ...


http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doc/2931/537391


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## Die Terrorists Die (Sep 18, 2009)

This would be a sight to see! God Speed!


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## BATWING (May 9, 2008)

I pray the box method works at those depths and I hope BP makes it right.


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## capn_billl (Sep 12, 2007)

There are a couple of piping technologies that would work at that pressure. I think the "box is a workable if temporary fix. Remember every gallon recovered is just that much less to clean up later. My only complaint is why didn't they have one already built and on hand out there in case this happened?


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## 1st_rate_mate (Oct 12, 2004)

*Containment devise leaves Port Fourchon tomorrow (wednesday 5-5)*

*News *









*BP: Expects To Close One Of 3 Leaks In US Gulf Oil Well Tuesday*

PrintReprintsCommentRecommend (0) 



5-4-10 5:34 PM EDT | E-mail Article
BP PLC (BP) expects to plug one of three points where an underwater well is leaking into the Gulf of Mexico, and to install a device to contain the oil within six days, the company's chief operating officer said Tuesday.

The containment device, a 70 ton dome that will send oil up to a drilling rig, is seen as the best hope to contain the leak while another rig drills a new well to cut off the flow of crude. That drilling process could take up to 90 days. Separately, BP expects to plug one leak later Tuesday by installing a valve. 
The operation is not seen reducing the flow of oil into the Gulf, however, said COO Doug Suttles in a press conference. The containment dome is scheduled to leave its engineering yard in Port Fourchon, La. at noon Wednesday.
The trip to the site of the leak will take 12 hours, and installing the device requires another two days. Pipes will then be installed connecting the dome to the rig, which will capture the oil, "hopefully" starting in six days. 
-By Brian Baskin, Dow Jones Newswires; [email protected]
(END) Dow Jones Newswires 05-04-101734ET Copyright (c) 2010 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.


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## MB (Mar 6, 2006)

*A WELLHEAD CONTAINMENT BOX IS FINISHED*

It looks like the first box is heading out to site today. This is great news. May be this leak will be stoped soon ..... Below is the story as written by AP and posted on AL.com with Pics.

http://blog.al.com/live/2010/05/crews_prepare_to_take_oil_cont.html

*MB*

PORT FOURCHON, La. -- A 12-man crew was making final preparations Wednesday to take a 100-ton contraption on a journey to an oil leak site in the Gulf of Mexico in an unprecedented attempt to help funnel out oil spewing from the bottom of the sea about 50 miles off the Louisiana coast.
The giant-concrete-and-steel box is the best short-term solution to bottling up the disastrous oil spill that threatens sealife and livelihoods along the Gulf Coast.

BP spokesman John Curry said it would be deployed on the seabed by Thursday and hooked up to a drill ship over the weekend. The boat, a 280-foot vessel named the Joe Griffin, was expected to start its 100-mile trip around the Mississippi Delta later Wednesday.

The box is the latest idea engineers from oil giant BP PLC are trying after an oil rig the company was operating exploded April 20, killing 11 workers. It sank two days later.

Capt. Demi Shaffer said the trip would take 10-11 hours at a speed of 11 knots, or about 13 miles per hour.
Shaffer, who lives in Seward, Alaska, when he's not captaining boats in the oilfields, said the ship would wait at the Deepwater Horizon site for the arrival of another vessel with cranes that will lift the containment device and lower it 5,000-feet to the seabed. It's unclear how long that process would take.
"So far nobody has told us," Shaffer said.

The Joe Griffin, which also helped fight the rig fire after the Deepwater Horizon exploded, is owned by Edison Choest Offshore and is under contract to BP. It has sleeping quarters and an entertainment room with leather sofas and a big-screen TV.
The vessel is named for a boat captain who worked with company founder Edison Chouest, when Chouest was still in the shrimping business. Griffin later followed Chouest into the oil business and eventually worked his way up to port captain, supervising several vessels at once.
Griffin died in a car accident in 1970. The ship is one of only a few boats that isn't named for a family member, according to company spokesman Lonnie Thibodeaux.
"Literally it is our latest and greatest supply vessel," Thibodeaux said. "It just went to work for BP."

BP is in charge of the cleanup and President Barack Obama and many others have said the company also is responsible for the costs.
BP capped one of three leaks at the well Tuesday night, a step that will not cut the flow of oil but that BP has said will make it easier to help with the gusher.

Two satellite images taken Wednesday morning indicate oil has reached the Mississippi Delta and the Chandeleur Islands off the coast of Louisiana.
It's not clear whether the oil is on shore, but it's very close, said Hans Graber, director of the University of Miami's satellite sensing facility.
U.S. Coast Guard Lt. James McKnight said crews remained at the Chandeleurs on Wednesday after officials got a report of oil coming ashore, but they have not located it.
"They're sitting there, basically, waiting for the first signs of any kind of a sheen to touch the islands," he said.
Graber said the images also show oil drifting south, toward the Loop Current, which scientists say could carry it toward Florida and the Florida Keys. The northern edge of the current may have already picked up some oil.
Florida officials fearing tourists will cancel their vacations are trying to quash rumors that oil is already washing up on beaches there.
"We are not two or three days away from it hitting the shore," said David Halstead, Florida's emergency management chief. "The beaches are still open."

The long-term effects of the spill on wildlife are not yet clear. Dead endangered turtles have been washing up on Gulf Coast beaches, but they have no signs of oil and federal fisheries officials are investigating whether aggressive shrimpers may have killed them.
Efforts to stop the oil before it gets to shore picked up Wednesday. Coast Guard crews said they were preparing to corral some and set it on fire, which they last tried April 28. A 28-minute burn then removed thousands of gallons, but weather had not allowed them to do it again. Waves and wind were calm Wednesday.

In Plaquemines Parish, near the southern tip of Louisiana, officials loaded absorbent boom shortly after dawn to take out to the mouth of the Mississippi River. The barge will be used as a distribution point for local fishermen to lay the boom around sensitive marshes.
At a nearby marina, local shrimpers planned to use their boats to put down boom as part of a program BP is running.

The Coast Guard said officials planned to send out about 80 vessels from Biloxi and Pascagoula, Miss., and Orange Beach, Ala., primarily to handle booming. Two Coast Guard cutters would also conduct offshore skimming operations. Crews in Mississippi are picking up debris from beaches to make cleanup easier if oil comes ashore.
In all, about 7,900 people are working to protect the shoreline and wildlife, and some 170 boats are also helping with the cleanup.
A rainbow sheen of oil has reached land in parts of Louisiana, but forecasts showed the oil wasn't expected to come ashore for at least a couple more days.
"It's a gift of a little bit of time. I'm not resting," Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry said.

In their worst-case scenario, BP executives told members of a congressional committee that up to 2.5 million gallons a day could spill if the leaks worsened, though it would be more like 1.7 million gallons. In an exploration plan filed with the government in February 2009, BP said it could handle a "worst-case scenario" it described as a leak of 6.8 million gallons per day from an uncontrolled blowout.

Containment boxes have never been tried at this depth -- about 5,000 feet -- because of the extreme water pressure. If all goes well, the contraption could be fired up early next week to start funneling the oil into a tanker.
"We don't know for sure" whether the equipment will work, BP spokesman Bill Salvin said. "What we do know is that we have done extensive engineering and modeling and we believe this gives us the best chance to contain the oil, and that's very important to us.
"
The rig was owned by Transocean Ltd. Some of the surviving workers who were aboard when it exploded are suing that company and BP PLC. In lawsuits filed Tuesday, three workers say they were kept floating at sea for more than 10 hours while the rig burned uncontrollably. They are seeking damages.
Guy Cantwell, a spokesman for Transocean, defended the company's response, saying 115 workers did get off alive. Two wrongful death suits also have been filed.
While officials worked on cleanup, the long wait took its toll on nerves and incomes.

Perdido Key, a barrier island between Pensacola and the Alabama state line with sugar-white sand studded with condominiums, likely would be the first place in Florida affect by the oil spill. Perdido -- Spanish for "Lost" -- got a sniff Tuesday morning of what may be in store.
"You could smell the smell of it, real heavy petroleum base," said Steve Owensby, 54, a maintenance man at the Flora-Bama Lounge abutting the state line on the Florida side.
The air cleared later, but Owensby's 28-year-old daughter, Stephanie, who tends bar at the lounge, said some visitors have complained of feeling ill from the fumes.
"It's very sad because I grew up out here," she said. "I remember growing up seeing the white beaches my whole life. Every day I've been going to the beach ... a lot of people are out watching and crying."


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## Mazz (Dec 19, 2009)

i pray the box - sombrero - umbrella does the temp fix to get the relief wells in or get the frustrated bop working.

with all due respect, i know many that subscribe and follow this thread are hard at work making this problem go way, and i appreciate all your efforts.

but what i can't figure out is. 

why does every pic i've seen of the infamous "box" have a small group of men working on this. i would think we would have a hundred deep welders, fabricators and engineers sitting with a tool in their hand working on this or ready, willing able when room came available. i would think photographers couldn't even get close to these things due to all the support.

but i digress, god speed mr box, do your magic


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## Hotrod (Oct 11, 2006)

Fishin Fast said:


> They need to plug the hole, not just cover it with a box. That is the stupidest thing ive ever heard. Im no engineer, but I can see through this. They'll act like its fixed, but its really like putting a band-aid on cancer. This is half-*** in my book. :headknock


You sure do jump the gun alot and run your mouth. You sure are a negative person, nobody likes a negative person.hwell: Hope they get this thing under somewhat control, anything will help.


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## PasadenaMan (Dec 5, 2007)

I had an oil buddy of mine give me his opinion on what happened. He believes that gases escaped from the outer casing and might have contributed to the explosion. I hope they can cap it with this 98ton box.


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## Hotrod (Oct 11, 2006)

PasadenaMan said:


> I had an oil buddy of mine give me his opinion on what happened. He believes that gases escaped from the outer casing and might have contributed to the explosion. I hope they can cap it with this 98ton box.


Thats what the guys in the cat fishing the rig said that the gases was buring their eyes. And right after they left it blew. What ignited the gases? The boom torch?


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## Fishin Fast (Oct 13, 2008)

Mazz said:


> why does every pic i've seen of the infamous "box" have a small group of men working on this. i would think we would have a hundred deep welders, fabricators and engineers sitting with a tool in their hand working on this or ready, willing able when room came available. i would think photographers couldn't even get close to these things due to all the support.


Look up: Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns.


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## Fishin Fast (Oct 13, 2008)

Hotrod said:


> You sure do jump the gun alot and run your mouth. You sure are a negative person, nobody likes a negative person.hwell: Hope they get this thing under somewhat control, anything will help.


I truly hope it works just like the rest of yall, I am just worried its going to be the last you hear about it, regardless if it works or not something more permanent needs to be done. Sorry for coming across negatively, I am not an engineer so I will leave it to them to figure out and I will give them the positive attitude they deserve.


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## Cody C (May 15, 2009)

Hotrod said:


> Thats what the guys in the cat fishing the rig said that the gases was buring their eyes. And right after they left it blew. What ignited the gases? The boom torch?


In the story from the other forum written by the guys, they said that the rig cut off the power to prevent a spark and then the back-up generators came on like they were suppose to and caused a spark that ignited the gas. Not sure if that's how it actually went down, but that's what those guys claimed happened.


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## texas32 (Jun 16, 2005)

From the opening on the East side of the box and the overling markings it appears that is the box that is going over the drill pipe at the end of the riser, if I am not mistaken.
All I can say is 'Box Baby Box'


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## Muddy (Dec 25, 2007)

Fishin Fast said:


> *They need to plug the hole, not just cover it with a box.* That is the stupidest thing ive ever heard. Im no engineer, but I can see through this. They'll act like its fixed, but its really like putting a band-aid on cancer. This is half-*** in my book. :headknock


Budweiser Presents Real Men Of Genius.....Heres to you Captain Obvious! Your The Big Picture Guy...everybody else can handle the minute details! :doowapsta


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## Tiny (Dec 19, 2006)

Dang... ya'll still beating the idiot up??? That dumbass post was 4 whole days ago.


BTW.. Fishin Fast... you aren't very smart are ya??


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## Roger (Aug 12, 2005)

Muddy said:


> Budweiser Presents Real Men Of Genius.....Heres to you Captain Obvious! Your The Big Picture Guy...everybody else can handle the minute details! :doowapsta


That's funny.....









Back on a little more serious note. My son is out there on another boat. I talked to him about an hour ago and he said the dome got there about 6:30 this morning. I told him to send me lots of pic's. I'll get 'em but don't really know when. They're pretty busy........


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## blacksheep76 (Apr 22, 2010)

Here's to wishful thinking. Any updated pics of the "dome" as the news is calling this thing? Thanks


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## fluid (Aug 13, 2008)

*This site is better than any of the news stations. Thanks to you 2coolers for keeping us posted. Seriously, I appreciate you guys. Oh yeah, good fishing tips too!*


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## Tiny (Dec 19, 2006)

Roger said:


> That's funny.....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Looking Forward to it Roger.

Roger


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## KendaliaTX (Mar 19, 2010)

Cody C said:


> In the story from the other forum written by the guys, they said that the rig cut off the power to prevent a spark and then the back-up generators came on like they were suppose to and caused a spark that ignited the gas. Not sure if that's how it actually went down, but that's what those guys claimed happened.


I read an analysis done by Morgan Stqanley and it included accounts from people on the rig. That is what they said. Power was cut, generators kicked in, sucked in gas, BOOM. Followed by lots of other things going BOOM afterwards. Makes perfect sense when you read the story of the guys fishing, and then the accounts from those on the rig.

I sure hope that this containment box helps out. If not, i say we go with the Russian method, and nuke it.


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## PasadenaMan (Dec 5, 2007)

Hotrod said:


> Thats what the guys in the cat fishing the rig said that the gases was buring their eyes. And right after they left it blew. What ignited the gases? The boom torch?


My guess would be that some piece of metal or mineral rock was pushed upwards and caused a spark and ignited the blast, or a pipe shot out and hit metal and caused a spark.

The gas that was burning thier eyes was probobly too consentrated foer them to smell it. The gas alone could ahve killed them if they would have stayed.


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## PasadenaMan (Dec 5, 2007)

By the way BP was one of the largest campain contributers to Obama.
Read for yoru self I hope this does not let BP off easy.

I was pis$ed to hear in the radio this mornign that they used this disaster as an example to not drill in an area in Alaska.


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## Hooked02 (May 3, 2010)

PasadenaMan said:


> My guess would be that some piece of metal or mineral rock was pushed upwards and caused a spark and ignited the blast, or a pipe shot out and hit metal and caused a spark.
> 
> The gas that was burning thier eyes was probobly too consentrated foer them to smell it. The gas alone could ahve killed them if they would have stayed.


The gas would not have killed them. Have you ever heard of someone keeling over after a fart. It was methane. You would have to sit in a chamber full of methane "without" O2 to die from it. If it was H2S like you think it was then the guys fishing would of still not died. I drilled the biggest H2S well in the last 10 years in west texas and we worked, ate, and sleep with H2S for 2 months. You have to take a 1000 parts per million into your lungs before you die from H2S. 100 PPM Knocks you out.
Thats impossible in that kind of open enviroment. Well nothings " impossble" but very very highly unlikely.

There is about a thousand ways that fire was ignited. I was told it was the back up generators but I dont think they would tells us exactly what it was anyways.


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## PasadenaMan (Dec 5, 2007)

Ok Hooked, this is not to debate with you, just what I found on HS2
toxicity of H2S is comparable with that of hydrogen cyanide. 
Since hydrogen sulfide occurs naturally in the body, the environment and the gut, enzymes exist in the body capable of detoxifying it by oxidation to (harmless) sulfate.Hence, low levels of sulfide may be tolerated indefinitely.

0.0047 ppm is the recognition threshold, the concentration at which 50% of humans can detect the characteristic odor of hydrogen sulfide,[12] normally described as resembling "a rotten egg".
Less than 10 ppm has an exposure limit of 8 hours per day.
*10-20 ppm is the borderline concentration for eye irritation*.
50-100 ppm leads to eye damage.
At 100-150 ppm the olfactory nerve is paralyzed after a few inhalations, and the sense of smell disappears, often together with awareness of danger.
*320-530 ppm leads to **pulmonary edema** with the possibility of death.*
530-1000 ppm causes strong stimulation of the central nervous system and rapid breathing, leading to loss of breathing.
800 ppm is the lethal concentration for 50% of humans for 5 minutes exposure (LC50).
Concentrations over 1000 ppm cause immediate collapse with loss of breathing, even after inhalation of a single breath.


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## whistlingdixie (Jul 28, 2008)

I think they had an episode on 1000 ways to die where a guy died because of a fart.


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## Chase This! (Jul 20, 2007)

PasadenaMan said:


> I hope this does not let BP off easy.


Or Transocean. Or the BOP manufacturer. Jeeze, why is no one mentioning the other parties. This is NOT solely a BP issue.

Brandon


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## Cutter (Jun 23, 2004)

found a diagram + captions on the dome.


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## BATWING (May 9, 2008)

Outer pipe is used to circulate warm water to prevent ice? Why could ice form?


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## Cutter (Jun 23, 2004)

My understanding is that the cold temperatures on the sea floor makes the oil more viscous, and could clog the pipe. 

Not sure about the scenario of how ice can form


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## El Ahogo (Mar 14, 2010)

BATWING said:


> Outer pipe is used to circulate warm water to prevent ice? Why could ice form?


could it have something to do with the JT(Joules/Thompson) effect?


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## ML56 (Dec 30, 2008)

BATWING said:


> Outer pipe is used to circulate warm water to prevent ice? Why could ice form?


Ever have a propane leak? When gas expands it gets cold, air conditioning is a good example of that principle. The well is still releasing gas and the box will retain the cooling effect rather than dispersing it in the water. That could lead to oil congealing, and possibly clogging pipes. The engineers thought of this, and incorporated a heating system in the box. The bottom hole temp is also a factor as the oil cools in the pipe on the way up, it may thicken inside of the pipe. Hats off to engineers and fabricators, GOD speed guys!-Mike


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## El Ahogo (Mar 14, 2010)

Lucky Luchie said:


> Ever have a propane leak? When gas expands it gets cold, air conditioning is a good example of that principle. The well is still releasing gas and the box will retain the cooling effect rather than dispersing it in the water. That could lead to oil congealing, and possibly clogging pipes. The engineers thought of this, and incorporated a heating system in the box. Hats off to engineers and fabricators, GOD speed guys!-Mike


Actually you forgot the detail that the gas has to expand across an orifice to cool down. Or go from one pressure to a lower one across an orifice........... the JT effect
.


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## BATWING (May 9, 2008)

Yall are so smart. Thanks for the lesson.


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## ML56 (Dec 30, 2008)

You are correct, as the hydrostatic head is lowered due to oil and gas rising, it functions much the same as an orafice would. The difference is the expanding gas is contained in the pipe or wellbore. Trying to keep it simpler for those unfamiliar with oilfield.-Mike


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## Live2hunt (Apr 19, 2010)

Muddy said:


> Budweiser Presents Real Men Of Genius.....Heres to you Captain Obvious! Your The Big Picture Guy...everybody else can handle the minute details! :doowapsta


:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:


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## WilliamH (May 21, 2004)

Chase This! said:


> Or Transocean. Or the BOP manufacturer. Jeeze, why is no one mentioning the other parties. This is NOT solely a BP issue.
> 
> Brandon


I'm sure the lawyers have a long list of responsible parties. For media purposes its easier to say BP.

Thanks for that diagram cutter.


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## Swells (Nov 27, 2007)

Well nobody knows and BP and all the contractors are real nervous about this box thang, which should be on position and being lowered today or tomorrow. 

It could be ice, methane crystals, natural gas, brine, mud, black oil, condensate, and all kinds of stuff. It could get to the top and explode, just warming up because of the "flash" effect. There are no estimates of the collection efficiency, which could be 0 percent if it fails to perhaps 90 percent if the flow rates can be equalized (pumping on the recovery ship near equal to the pipe leakage rate).

I have no idea and maybe you oil & gas experts can help here, but they're thinking about methanol injection and all kinds of special treatments for the box/dome and riser pipe. Methanol?

But nobody in the world has tried this at 5,000 feet below the surface, that's a fact. Prayer lit and candle sent!


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## kyle2601 (Oct 23, 2008)

Hooked02 said:


> The gas would not have killed them. Have you ever heard of someone keeling over after a fart. It was methane. You would have to sit in a chamber full of methane "without" O2 to die from it. If it was H2S like you think it was then the guys fishing would of still not died. I drilled the biggest H2S well in the last 10 years in west texas and we worked, ate, and sleep with H2S for 2 months. You have to take a 1000 parts per million into your lungs before you die from H2S. 100 PPM Knocks you out.
> Thats impossible in that kind of open enviroment. Well nothings " impossble" but very very highly unlikely.
> 
> There is about a thousand ways that fire was ignited. I was told it was the back up generators but I dont think they would tells us exactly what it was anyways.


You sir are full of SHIIIIIIIIT!!!!!!!! Methane can kill you! You have not slept with H2S for 2 months. The oil company would not be working if that was the case. Can you guess why 100 ppm knocks you out there genius????? Maybe you need to go sit in class for another 8 hours and maybe stay awake for the class this time. And West Texas does not have the biggest baddest H2S well..... I can guarantee you that! Try Jewett Texas. Learn your facts Sleepy. You might want to go back to flipping burgers or something more suitable to your intelligence level. Just sayin.


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## Bellyup (May 22, 2004)

Hooked02 said:


> Have you ever heard of someone keeling over after a fart?


Obviously, you have never smelled mine.

Lets hope this dome works well and safely.


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## Arlon (Feb 8, 2005)

Always love the friendly responders on this forum. Kyle, welcome to my "iggy" club. You're in good company. Just sayin...


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## Cutter (Jun 23, 2004)

The Helix Q4000 is using it's crane to lower the dome this afternoon.


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## explorer05 (Jun 22, 2006)

*Okay Genius-What's Your Plan*



Fishin Fast said:


> They need to plug the hole, not just cover it with a box. That is the stupidest thing ive ever heard. Im no engineer, but I can see through this. They'll act like its fixed, but its really like putting a band-aid on cancer. This is half-*** in my book. :headknock


 This has been done over a hundred times in the Gulf in the past, usually after hurricanes such as Katrina. The box allows the oil to be drained off without environmental damage while a relief well is being drilled and the old hole plugged with cement. It's a great way to prevent further damage and manage the situation. It's a heck of a lot better than anything the Obama Admin. has proposed!


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## MB (Mar 6, 2006)

*Containment Box arrives at the site*

Here are a few more AP pics of the box arriving at the site where another rig's crane is waiting to lower the containment box into position. God's Speed....

BTW: LOOK AT THA FLAT WATER 

*MB*


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## ML56 (Dec 30, 2008)

Man, what a blessing to have calm seas to offload that beast.Thanks for the pics.-Mike


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## huntnetime (Jul 23, 2004)

Let's pray this works...if it did, there will be a whole bunch of questions asked about why these things are not on standby in case of something like this happening. In the big scheme of things, these can't cost TOO much to keep laying around. And I do not claim to know what the heck I am talking about...just sayin'...


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## chivochavez (Jan 19, 2008)

I still want to know what caused it which the news media seems awfully reluctant to talk about as does everone else. Obama control?


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## justhookit (Sep 29, 2005)

chivo-

the basic cause of the accident is posted numerous times on this site as well as THT and others. Finding the cause of the BOP failure will take a while, though. I'm not an Obama fan at all, but insinuating that he has anything to do with a lack of information at this point in the media is pretty far out there . . .


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## LaAngler (Mar 11, 2008)

chivochavez said:


> I still want to know what caused it which the news media seems awfully reluctant to talk about as does everone else. Obama control?


The good news is that obamah is sending Barney Frank down to show BP how to control a gusher.


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## MB (Mar 6, 2006)

*Containment Box Video*

Here's a short video of the Containment Box being lowered into the DEEP.






*MB*


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## MB (Mar 6, 2006)

Here is another good link of currant events about the containment box and other efforts being used to control the oil leak. The box is in place so now comes the next step to get the umbilical core ( pipe to the surface ) connected to the drill ship ENTERPRISE.

What a perfect name of a ship ( THE ENTERPRISE ) to be apart of going where no man has gone before.

*MB*

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-05-06-oil-containment-box_N.htm


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

As an old barge super on many derreck and pipe lay barges, I am dying to know what they used to lower the box 5000 ft. That crane on the semi shown in the video certainly does not have that much wire on the hoist drum. 
Is that semi a drilling rig or a work vessel?
Maybe they plan to swing the box under the drill floor. Attach it to the drill string and lower it one joint at a time.
If any one knows how they do it please post here. Just a logistics problem that runs us old offshore hand nuts. Old engineers never die, they just smell that way.
Thanks.


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## Boboe (Feb 11, 2009)

El Ahogo said:


> Actually you forgot the detail that the gas has to expand across an orifice to cool down. Or go from one pressure to a lower one across an orifice........... the JT effect
> .


Or we could just call it Boyle's Law and get it over with.


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## Boboe (Feb 11, 2009)

Sunbeam said:


> Is that semi a drilling rig or a work vessel?
> 
> Thanks.


Helix does well intervention work, not drilling, from what I'm aware. I'd like to know the answer as to how it'll reach the bottom as well. Maybe they have a giant wireline spool they're going to use.

I've got no clue.


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## chivochavez (Jan 19, 2008)

Sorry, but I just don't trust Obama and nothing would surprise me anymore....


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## Catfish48 (Aug 21, 2007)

*Pressure drop......AMAZING NUMBERS*

The pressure drop from 5000 feet to surface is astronomical.......

In fact enough pressure to crush a submarine....In the neighborhood of 2,250 PSI ..... Imagine that!!!!!! Submarines cannot go that deep without imploding!!!!!!! .......

Pressure at the surface is 14.7 pounds..... Delta P is about 2,235 PSI --- WOW

Now...try the math....

A Pea Sized Methane Bubble at 5000 feet would expand about 150 times the size while travelling to the surface......I'm not sure how large that is but it is HUGE!!!!

No need for an orafice........drop in pressure is assured upon assent toward the surface......

AMAZING NUMBERS!!!!!!!


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## Chase This! (Jul 20, 2007)

Did it work?????

Brandon


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## wacker (Mar 22, 2006)

Sunbeam said:


> As an old barge super on many derreck and pipe lay barges, I am dying to know what they used to lower the box 5000 ft. That crane on the semi shown in the video certainly does not have that much wire on the hoist drum.
> Is that semi a drilling rig or a work vessel?
> Maybe they plan to swing the box under the drill floor. Attach it to the drill string and lower it one joint at a time.
> If any one knows how they do it please post here. Just a logistics problem that runs us old offshore hand nuts. Old engineers never die, they just smell that way.
> Thanks.


I don't know if this rig has it but some of the deep water stuff is no longer handled with wire rope, They are using a kevlar or spectra type rope on the winches and it has neutral buoyancy thus reducing the load in the winch and increasing the line capacity. I have seen one that can do 100tons in 10,000'ft of water.


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## MB (Mar 6, 2006)

Chase This! said:


> Did it work?????
> 
> Brandon


There still hooking it up ......, and I'm sure going through every step slowly and safely to insure a positive outcome.

It would be great if we could get an ROV video of the box being placed over the leak.

MB


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## MB (Mar 6, 2006)

I found a video of an ROV working on a pipe to stop one of the leaks in the gulf.

http://www.wwltv.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/ROV-caps-Deepwater-Horizon-leak-underwater-93043084.html

And Ron's ROV site that has some cool videos as well. I've found none setting the box yet. May be someone else has one.

http://www.ronsrovlinks.nl/modules/wflinks/

*MB*


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## sfronterhouse (Sep 10, 2007)

Thanks for info.


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## fiftypesos (Aug 2, 2009)

This fix should work like a charm and turn them into heros. One thing that does not fill me with confidence, go back onto page 8 and look how they tied this 100 ton monster down. This should have been tied down for sea transport with the possiblity of seeing loads up to and above 2 G's. The CG looks to be just a bit above mid height and the transport chains are tied below the CG.

However, the bad part is, look what they tied off to... looks to be something on the order of 4 inch hss or pipe. It would not take a whole lot to bend these are rip out the embeds which I am assuming how they are attach since this is a concrete structure. I am glad they had calm seas for the trip out.

Good luck to all working on this and God Speed.


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## Boatflounder (Mar 12, 2007)

Sunbeam said:


> As an old barge super on many derreck and pipe lay barges, I am dying to know what they used to lower the box 5000 ft. That crane on the semi shown in the video certainly does not have that much wire on the hoist drum.
> Is that semi a drilling rig or a work vessel?
> Maybe they plan to swing the box under the drill floor. Attach it to the drill string and lower it one joint at a time.
> If any one knows how they do it please post here. Just a logistics problem that runs us old offshore hand nuts. Old engineers never die, they just smell that way.
> Thanks.


Actually if i recall correctly htat crane had 10'000 ft of wire, I worked on the Q4000 the first yer it was out, at the time we were doing construction work, have heard she is doing more well interevention work now but haven been on her in years.


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## Swells (Nov 27, 2007)

Boatflounder would be correct about the Helix Q4000.

http://www.helixesg.com/Portals/0/PDFs/Q4000 brochure.pdf

The main crane is rated at 360 tons to 10,000 feet using a "traction winch," whatever that is. A smaller crane is rated at 160 tons mainly I suppose for lifting supplies off crewboats, about 1,500 foot of wire. Cool offshore well intervention vessel.


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## 47741 (Jan 5, 2010)

Swells said:


> Boatflounder would be correct about the Helix Q4000.
> 
> http://www.helixesg.com/Portals/0/PDFs/Q4000 brochure.pdf
> 
> The main crane is rated at 360 tons to 10,000 feet using a "traction winch," whatever that is. A smaller crane is rated at 160 tons mainly I suppose for lifting supplies off crewboats, about 1,500 foot of wire. Cool offshore well intervention vessel.


I wonder how much a day that baby costs..


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## Catfish48 (Aug 21, 2007)

*Traction Winch + Storage Reel*

Huisman developed a compact traction winch installed in the base of the crane, while the reel itself was transferred to the pontoon. The traction winch can deliver the necessary line pull to lift the load while the storage reel takes up the wire rope under low tension.

Huisman Itrec designed a 360-ton mast crane that 
is capable of transmitting a 110-ton load down 10,000 ft on a single wire. To lower the center of gravity and clear even more deck space, the take-up reel for the crane was moved into the vessel's column

_*(Information gathered from Al Gore's Internet)*_


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## Swells (Nov 27, 2007)

Holy mackerel, some good ole boys were fishing UNDER the Deepwater Horizon when she blew, fishing for hardtail bait and then some yellas. Check this website out (seems safe to me)

http://www.mudinmyblood.net/forum/showthread.php?t=6104

Is that some major pucker factor or what?


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## Chase This! (Jul 20, 2007)

So it didn't work. Dang!!!

Now what????

Brandon


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## Kyle 1974 (May 10, 2006)

SaltyTX said:


> I wonder how much a day that baby costs..


not even in the ballpark of what the transocean horizon cost per day....

they are now saying that the first attempt did not work. The vessel became full of hydrate crystals, and became too bouyant, and they weren't able to secure it over the leak ....


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## Boboe (Feb 11, 2009)

yeah, the ice formed in the box and clogged up the outlet tube. This was one of the possible problems. The solutions are to use methanol or warm seawater to keep the orifice open and keep the oil and gas flowing to the surface. This is the same kind of problem that occurs in pipelines. Currently the box is 60' off to the side of the leak, where they're working on getting it cleared and I assume getting a solution for the ice problem rigged up.


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## MB (Mar 6, 2006)

*Baby steps at 5000'*

Baby steps at 5000' ............ clearly there tough!

I'm not giving up hope yet ..... The best in the world are working on this and I believe in them.

Its like an A/C orifice metering refrigerant ( in this case methane ) into an evaporator coil ( the box and small opening leaving the box ) and it's freezing up. I'm sure this has happened to drill casing before and there is a fix in the works....

Every journey has a mid course correction.

MB


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

Catfish48 said:


> Huisman developed a compact traction winch installed in the base of the crane, while the reel itself was transferred to the pontoon. The traction winch can deliver the necessary line pull to lift the load while the storage reel takes up the wire rope under low tension.
> 
> Huisman Itrec designed a 360-ton mast crane that
> is capable of transmitting a 110-ton load down 10,000 ft on a single wire. To lower the center of gravity and clear even more deck space, the take-up reel for the crane was moved into the vessel's column
> ...


Thanks catfish, I am very familiar with traction winches. A 110 ton single whip line is no slouch. 
I guess well intervention vessel in the PC modern termology for "work over rig"
Man I hope they get this worked out.
I heard a drilling consulting company guy today say that there has been 4500 wells drilled since 2005. And this is the first measurable spill. Not a word from the media or the "administration" about all the successes. Just the one failure.
At the rate this is being misrepresented in the spin cycle media as a reason to stop or curtail offshore drilling, the industry is going to take a big undeserved hit.


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## fishinfool (Jun 30, 2004)

Sunbeam, the vessel i am working on at the moment (also out working on the bp well) has a single line crane rated for 10,000ft. i believe its 3.5" wire rope. we cant reach 110tons at that depth, but somewere close. and your correct, its no slouch. i spent my first 4 years offshore on derick barges and its a hole new ball game with this deep water stuff.


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## Boboe (Feb 11, 2009)

Sunbeam said:


> And this is the first measurable spill. Not a word from the media or the "administration" about all the successes. Just the one failure.
> At the rate this is being misrepresented in the spin cycle media as a reason to stop or curtail offshore drilling, the industry is going to take a big undeserved hit.


You're exactly right. I've read an article and heard on the radio a few times now about "balls of tar washing up on the white sand beaches of Alabama's Dauphin Island." I got a vision of really bad stuff. Turns out that 6 (SIX!!!) QUARTER-SIZED BALLS of tar have been found on the beach. Perhaps they're from the spill, and perhaps they're from a tanker blowing out his tanks and/or bilge. The media has it sounding like there are tar balls all over the white beach.


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## Fishin Fast (Oct 13, 2008)

Are they drilling the relief well yet? If it takes 3 months they should get to drilling asap.


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## bobber (May 12, 2005)

Already at 9000' heard on news last night.


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## MB (Mar 6, 2006)

It looks like there going to try a smaller box this week......

http://dailycaller.com/2010/05/09/bp-plans-to-park-oil-box-unload-new-equipment/

*MB*


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## MB (Mar 6, 2006)

*The new smaller " Top Hat " Box is to be tryed next*

Here's the latest on the leaks .....

I have just one question about this whole event. Were *ANY* of the parts of the Blow-out Preventer ( BOP ) made in China ?

*MB*

BP said it still sees hope for lowering a containment box over the biggest of two remaining leaks at the sea floor after a failed attempt over the weekend, but it believes a much smaller box could solve issues encountered by the first.
The new "top hat" box is just five feet tall and four feet wide and should be more effective than the four-story, 100-ton dome previously used because it does not allow as much water in, BP officials said in a technical briefing today in Houston.
A revised plan also calls for injecting warm salt water through piping that connects the device to a ship above to prevent icy methane hydrates from forming on the box as it sits on the cold sea floor one mile below the surface of the water, BP said.
Company officials said the new system could be deployed within as little as 72 hours, though that would be just a short-term fix for controlling the oil spewing out of BP's ruptured Macondo well about 40 miles off the coast of Louisiana.
The company is at the same time pursuing other methods to permanently sealing the well, which could be implemented within as little as two weeks to several months.
Among the most promising short-term solutions is re-configuring a giant stack of valves, known as a blowout preventer, that sits atop the well so that "junk" like golf balls, tire cuttings and other material can be shot into the blowout preventer to block the stream of spewing crude. Heavy drilling fluids would then be injected into the well through hoses routed direcly into the BOP to help maintain pressure on the reservoir.
BP officials expressed confidence today that the procedure, which was used to plug raging well fires in Iraq and Kuwait following the Gulf Wars, could be implemented within two weeks.
Technical teams are also looking at cutting away equipment above the existing damaged BOP and lowering a new one on top of it. Shut-off valves on the original apparently failed to seal the well when activated, so a second one should conceivably do the job. However, BP officials have said cutting off equipment above the existing BOP carries the risk of rupturing the well and accelerating the flow of oil.
As a last-ditch solution, BP is also drilling two relief wells to intercept its damaged Maconodo well and plug it by pumping heavy fluids into it. A first well was started last week, and a second began Sunday. Though virtually guaranteed to work, the relief well option could take two months to complete.
Meantime, the company received approval today from the Environmental Protection Agency to use robot submarines to spray chemical dispersants directly onto leaks at the sea floor, the Associated Press reported. BP says two previous pilot programs showed the procedure was successful in reducing the flow of oil to the water's surface.


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## MB (Mar 6, 2006)

*The 2nd box is there now....*

It looks like the 2nd box is heading out to sea today. I coudent find any pics yet....

*MB*

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/11/gulf-oil-spill-2nd-top-ha_n_572399.html

The Huffington Post

ON THE GULF OF MEXICO


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## Mont (Nov 17, 1998)

CNN posted this one of it. I sure hope they can get it working, asap.


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## Tiny (Dec 19, 2006)

I hope this doesn't take much longer.


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## Redfishon (Nov 10, 2005)

Maybe Obama could kiss it before this one goes out.That would fix it for sure.. Or could be the kiss of death.


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## trodery (Sep 13, 2006)

I am in the chemical trucking business, at 1:30 today we started receiving calls from various customers wanting us to transport 36 tank truck loads (approximately 180,000 gallons) of ethylene glycol (anti-freeze) to Fouchon, LA to be loaded on a utility boat to head out to the site. They are somehow planning on using this anti freeze on the new "top hat" to keep it from freezing up.


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## Snap Draggin (Nov 11, 2007)

I sure hope that works.


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## [email protected] Sportfishing (Jun 10, 2005)

trodery said:


> I am in the chemical trucking business, at 1:30 today we started receiving calls from various customers wanting us to transport 36 tank truck loads (approximately 180,000 gallons) of ethylene glycol (anti-freeze) to Fouchon, LA to be loaded on a utility boat to head out to the site. They are somehow planning on using this anti freeze on the new "top hat" to keep it from freezing up.


Wow! What would that stuff do to the fish??? Sure hope it works!


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## Calmday (Jul 7, 2005)

Mossy Oak said:


> Wow! What would that stuff do to the fish??? Sure hope it works!


It should be recovered with the oil. Im guessing that it will be injected in the oil/gas stream upstream of the "top hat" or whatever device they try to use. 
The hydrate (icing) problem is happening when the gas comes into contact with water under pressure at a low temperature. Glycol reduces the likelihood of this reaction.


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## chivochavez (Jan 19, 2008)

I know this is going to sound really dumb, and it probably is, but why couldn't they have rigged an electric heater of some sort (jets have their wing leading edges lined with aa type of heat tape to prevent icing up) It would take a lone "extension cord", but if they were running a pipe down to it for the oil...... Oh well ...just a thought..


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## MB (Mar 6, 2006)

Calmday said:


> It should be recovered with the oil. Im guessing that it will be injected in the oil/gas stream upstream of the "top hat" or whatever device they try to use.
> The hydrate (icing) problem is happening when the gas comes into contact with water under pressure at a low temperature. Glycol reduces the likelihood of this reaction.


I think your right .... If we look at the Top Hat containment box there are 3 risers ... a center and 2 on one side. I also think your right about injecting the glycol into the stream. This may allow the oil / gas to get started up to the surface. If there is a flow established than that flow hopefully will continue and not freeze up.

*MB*


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## Calmday (Jul 7, 2005)

chivochavez said:


> I know this is going to sound really dumb, and it probably is, but why couldn't they have rigged an electric heater of some sort (jets have their wing leading edges lined with aa type of heat tape to prevent icing up) It would take a lone "extension cord", but if they were running a pipe down to it for the oil...... Oh well ...just a thought..


It would work as long as you can get enough heat on the system and keep the oil/gas/water warm all the way up to the top. There is a "hydrate curve" that is affected by temperature, pressure and dew point (water content). You can think of it a little like a fire triangle kinda thingy except it is all proportional. It can be controlled by increasing or reducing any of the three contributors. Adding heat would be a way to do that but the gas is mixed with sea water and thus fully saturated so it would take a lot of heat and would have to be heated all the way to the top. 
There is one other way to control hydrates and that is by preventing the reaction. This can be done with Glycol, methanol, ethanol etc. It sounds like that is what they are trying now.


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## REELING 65 (Aug 18, 2009)

*Save Our Beaches*

What if we all get all the big floats swim buoy's. Then all the rope that we can.. enough to stretch a single line.. even a double line. From Brownsville to Sabine.Right off the coast 1 mile or so. Then get those porous gunney sacks or potato sacks. Then fill them with Reptile bedding and or wood shaving's ..both. The after all the bags are filled or should I say while they are being filled. Then hook them to the floats. Tightly mind you..stretching all the way up and down the coast. Absorbing the oil before it hits the beaches. I watched the video on the hay or grass..that absorbed the oil in the stainless bowls. This would work as well with the same method applied. Trying to hold back the toxic sludge that is heading in our direction. Just another thought that I have to help save our precious coastline from total disaster. Anything is worth a try..this Idea would help I think and the cost would not be out of the park. If the whole country pitched in. Then we could do this around the whole Gulf Coast.
My prayers are sent up again for this to be resolved. God Speed to all working on solving this crisis. 
:idea:


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## REELING 65 (Aug 18, 2009)

Mossy Oak said:


> Wow! What would that stuff do to the fish??? Sure hope it works!


Anti-Freeze would kill a horse. Just think what that would do to the fragile marine life.


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## SEAHUNT186 (Dec 24, 2004)

REELING 65 said:


> Anti-Freeze would kill a horse. Just think what that would do to the fragile marine life.


Yeah "EG" or Ethylene Glycol is no bueno for manine life. We use that for our chillers at work, but neither is oil....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37141752/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times

Looks like the spill is larger than what's been reported too. Like 4-5 times more. That reservior holds approx. 50 million barrels of oil. YIKES!! I don't know if ya'll already knew this info and I didn't feel like looking all over at 4 am to see, but there's the link anyway.

Steve


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## fishinfool (Jun 30, 2004)

the riser from the drill ship going down to the top hat (small dome) has a main line and a few smaller lines. they would pump the glycol down the small lines and into the oil/gas/waster mix inside the dome and pump it back up to the surface with the oil/gas mix. this should hopefully keep the water from freezing up like last time. this is common as they do it on normal wells sometimes i believe.


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## KIKO (Oct 24, 2006)

Is the "box" going to close the oil spill or is it to act like a funnel and the oil going to be vacumed thru pipes into tanks at the surface?


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## fishinfool (Jun 30, 2004)

this box piece will just act as a funnel to capture the stuff leaking out at the moment, i dont think it would be a perminant fix, at the most just temporary. maybe till the relief well was drilled


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## Calmday (Jul 7, 2005)

fishinfool said:


> the riser from the drill ship going down to the top hat (small dome) has a main line and a few smaller lines. they would pump the glycol down the small lines and into the oil/gas/waster mix inside the dome and pump it back up to the surface with the oil/gas mix. this should hopefully keep the water from freezing up like last time. this is common as they do it on normal wells sometimes i believe.


Correct and Glycol works great but is much more expensive than other hydrate inhibitors such as methanol or ethanol (depending on where in the world you are) so it is not commonly used for normal operations unless the cost can be justified or there are other special circumstances. MEG (Ethylene glycol like what Terry is going to ship to them) or TEG (Triethylene glycol) are the most common. 
Here are a couple of links with more info on hydrates and hydrate remediation. The info is probably boring as hell to most but it will help to explain hydrates.
http://www.infochemuk.com/publicat/leaflets/hydrates.pdf

http://www.scribd.com/doc/12863562/Hydrate-Handbook

Glycol is commonly used to dry gas before compressing it into the pipeline. This in necessary for meeting contract gas specifications, preventing hydrates from forming in pipelines and keeping water out of the pipeline reduces corrosion problems.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycol_dehydration


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## 11andy11 (Aug 12, 2004)

I don't know, is it just me or does anyone else think its kind of strange there was no contingency plan for this exact scenario? I mean, the containment boxes should have been built and sitting in a warehouse somewhere. The fact that BP has a virtual suggestion box just shows they are completely clueless.


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## chivochavez (Jan 19, 2008)

I've wondered pretty much the same thing as 11andy11.


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## REELING 65 (Aug 18, 2009)

11andy11 said:


> I don't know, is it just me or does anyone else think its kind of strange there was no contingency plan for this exact scenario? I mean, the containment boxes should have been built and sitting in a warehouse somewhere. The fact that BP has a virtual suggestion box just shows they are completely clueless.


X2


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## MB (Mar 6, 2006)

Here is a video from a meeting on May 10th about what BP is doing to stop the well. Its about 55 Min. long, but I found from about 26.5 min. or so in to around 38 min. it to be quite informative. There are about 20 min. of questions at the end.

*MB*

http://bp.concerts.com/gom/bptechbriefing051010.htm


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## 11andy11 (Aug 12, 2004)

here a link to a pretty interesting thread from a medic that was on one of the skimmers. He states they were skimming 24,000 barrels a day and there were 10 big skimmers working as well as smaller ones. They can only work in conditions of 4 foot seas or less and I don't know how many days they haven't been able to work. But based on those numbers and the size of the slick still out there I would say the size of the leak is being grossly falsified.
http://www.doomers.us/forum2/index.php/topic,67380.0.html


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## chivochavez (Jan 19, 2008)

I'm wondering where the people in charge of this mess or preventing this mess graduated from.....just wondering


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## Snap Draggin (Nov 11, 2007)

I'm wondering if you are the same person that said you didn't like white people (gringos)...just wondering.


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## Muddy (Dec 25, 2007)

11andy11 said:


> here a link to a pretty interesting thread from a medic that was on one of the skimmers. *He states they were skimming 24,000 barrels a day and there were 10 big skimmers working as well as smaller ones.*
> *Are they skimming 100% oil or is it 50/50, 75/25, etc. 24,000 bbls time 10 boats = 240,000 bbls a day. They must be catching every drop that comes out if thats the case(Worst case scenario I have heard is 70,000 to 240,000 bbls a day leaking). That link is a doom and gloom the world is coming to end type deal. Seems like some biased info. But thats just the way I read it.*
> They can only work in conditions of 4 foot seas or less and I don't know how many days they haven't been able to work. *But based on those numbers and the size of the slick still out there I would say the size of the leak is being grossly falsified.* *So who would be falsifying it? They have the ROV down there watching the blowout. BP is not the only one seeing that video.*
> http://www.doomers.us/forum2/index.php/topic,67380.0.html


just my .02


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## chivochavez (Jan 19, 2008)

I'm wondering if you are the same person that said you didn't like white people (gringos)...just wondering

Not sure what you mean, but I like gringos I guess because I am a ******, however, I disdain white trailer trash bigots! .........Just saying....


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## Mont (Nov 17, 1998)

Could you thread hijackers please move to another forum. You are getting old fast and you know who you are.


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## 11andy11 (Aug 12, 2004)

Muddy said:


> just my .02


well if BP has nothing to hide and the straw method gets tuned and they start collecting the majority of the major leak, we will know pretty quickly how much oil was pumping out of that sucker.


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## Muddy (Dec 25, 2007)

11andy11 said:


> well if BP has nothing to hide and the straw method gets tuned and they start collecting the majority of the major leak, we will know pretty quickly how much oil was pumping out of that sucker.


Agreed. That should give a good accounting. I know there were those two other leaks but I haven't heard the status of those.


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## Calmday (Jul 7, 2005)

11andy11 said:


> well if BP has nothing to hide and the straw method gets tuned and they start collecting the majority of the major leak, we will know pretty quickly how much oil was pumping out of that sucker.


The problem is the way that the contracts are written and the way that the clean up companies are paid. BP is contracting out almost all of the clean up. The cleanup companies make the most money when they can suck the oil straight from the top of the water. This product has been around for a long time http://www.abtechindustries.com/index.asp?mid2=169 . It is much much much more effective than the hay but no one will use it because it is not beneficial to the clean up companies.


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## Swells (Nov 27, 2007)

I've seen a few contracts and they looked like daily charters to me. Pays a daily rate.


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## Calmday (Jul 7, 2005)

Swells said:


> I've seen a few contracts and they looked like daily charters to me. Pays a daily rate.


Exactly. There is no incentive to spend money on anything other than the status quo. It would just cost the environmental cleanup companies money. They would not recover the expense of the material or any equipment needed to disperse or recover the sponge material.


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## marker150 (Nov 25, 2008)

may have been posted but here are some images&#8230;&#8230;.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/05/disaster_unfolds_slowly_in_the.html


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## Swells (Nov 27, 2007)

What disturbs me is that the 6" insert only seemed to work for 4 hours, and the flare started on the tanker ship, but soon went out when the flow stopped. I can't find any wire stories that say that BP had any success beyond that. Bummer.


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## ML56 (Dec 30, 2008)

Wouldn't it be sweet if it finally bridges off! I think with proper pump set up they should be able to outrun the leak. If not maybe with less flow the tophat or larger box will capture the balance of the leak. Congrats to all who had a hand on the first apparent success.-Mike


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## Boboe (Feb 11, 2009)

Muddy said:


> Agreed. That should give a good accounting. I know there were those two other leaks but I haven't heard the status of those.


One of the leaks was from the broken drill pipe. That was capped a week or so ago. They used an ROV with a saw to cut the pipe square, and installed a valve in the end of the pipe. Naturally, the valve was closed.


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## Boboe (Feb 11, 2009)

Smart sponge sounds like it works like an oil diaper pad. It sucks up oil, but not water. It looks like a good product.


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## 11andy11 (Aug 12, 2004)

if they inserted the small pipe into the broken riser, why not insert a tapered pipe that would eventually equal the ID of the broken pipe. You could pump oil out while inserting it to relieve pressure. Then afix a collar to hold it in place.


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## REELING 65 (Aug 18, 2009)

11andy11 said:


> if they inserted the small pipe into the broken riser, why not insert a tapered pipe that would eventually equal the ID of the broken pipe. You could pump oil out while inserting it to relieve pressure. Then afix a collar to hold it in place.


X2


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## Vee3 (Mar 15, 2005)

REELING 65 said:


> X2


I read somewhere they need a second drill pipe in the riser with the suction tool to add nitrogen to the mix.


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## 1st_rate_mate (Oct 12, 2004)

BP posted this overview of its simultaneous operations plan today


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## Pocketfisherman (May 30, 2005)

And I have a big enough problem trying to fish 4 lines. Imagine getting all those ROVs tangled up together.


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## WilliamH (May 21, 2004)

BP asked to use a less toxic dispersant by the EPA.

http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doc/2931/557167/


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## 47741 (Jan 5, 2010)

EPA Says "Because of its use in unprecedented volumes and because much is unknown about the underwater use of dispersants, EPA wants to ensure BP is using the least toxic product authorized for use. We reserve the right to discontinue the use of this dispersant method if any negative impacts on the environment outweigh the benefits."

So in effect the EPA says, we don't have an alternative, but you better find one that's less toxic than the one you're using....and we don't even know if the alternative truly could be less toxic. EPA, what a bunch of idiots


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## Boboe (Feb 11, 2009)

11andy11 said:


> if they inserted the small pipe into the broken riser, why not insert a tapered pipe that would eventually equal the ID of the broken pipe. You could pump oil out while inserting it to relieve pressure. Then afix a collar to hold it in place.


It's not just a piece of riser that they had to deal with. There's a riser with the drill pipe coming out of it. The drill pipe takes a turn after it exits the riser. So, they have a pipe with another pipe inside it. Just putting a tapered pipe inside the riser wouldn't work. You have to seal around the drill pipe.


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## 1st_rate_mate (Oct 12, 2004)

*SEEP OIL STUDY*

http://www.bubbleology.com/seeps/SeepTarStudy.html


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