As millions of gallons of oil pour into the Gulf of Mexico from the BP oil leak, ideas for stopping the leak and cleaning up the aftermath are needed. Today BP began their “top kill” procedure, which will attempt to send mud and cement into the well to block the flowing oil. You can watch what’s happening through a live stream of the leak on PBS NewsHour’s YouTube channel, the Google Oil Spill crisis response page or below.
You can submit your ideas on the best way to stop and clean up the oil spill via Google Moderator by 2:00 p.m. PT on Thursday, May 27.
Posted by Meryl Stone, Product Marketing Manager, Google.org
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PARALLEL UNDERWATER CHARGE: A carefully controlled well drilled parallel to, and a short distance from the subject leak well, yet far enough away to allow drilling of the well to take place without oil seeping into this new Explosives Charge Well. Yet this new well would need to be close enough to affect the subject well with and explosive charge. The underwater explosive charge could be set off, say 2/3 to 1/2 the way down. If set off lower, say 2/3 the way down, a chance to set off another charge could shortly follow say 1/2 the way down. Engineers/geologists familiar with the well could carefully make the decisions. It would bring soil, rock and otherwise heavy/large movement of substantial earth onto the subject leak eliminating the current well/pipe, preventing oil from passing through the current well and/or pipe. The existing pipe and passage will be simply crushed inward by substantial earth movement, at perhaps many levels near the lowest points that are practical to place the charge. In effect both wells ultimately will be crushed inward at a point of depth somewhat well above the levels that the oil sits. The distance we can surmise of the beginning of drilling of this new explosives well, can be say 8 feet (or other distance) from the subject well, though geologists and engineers at the site, who are familiar with the current well can decide, along with the best explosives experts, to make sure the subject leak well is crushed in at as many levels as possible. Depth of the explosives charge well also to be carefully determined.