HI Mark,

On Mon 2038-May-31 16:54, mark lewis (1:3634/12) wrote to TIM RICHARDSON:



ml> "The company failed in the days after the spill to use robotic
ml> submarines to close valves on the massive blowout preventer atop the
ml> damaged well, then two weeks later ice-like crystals clogged a
ml> 100-ton box the company tried placing over the leak. Earlier this
ml> week, engineers removed a mile-long siphon tube after it sucked up a
ml> disappointing 900,000 gallons of oil from the gusher." 


The thing i find interesting in all this is that although
they can drill in that depth of ocean they have few if any
clues what to do when something like this happens at those
depths.  Yes, I've heard this on NPR, the BBC, and from a
radio colleague who's an industry engineer, albeit from a
different company.
You've the pressure of the see and the pressure of the oil
coming from that blown out wellhead both, and just getting
that "bell-like" device over it, or anything else you try is
going to be an adventure.

Were it a shallower depth they'd probably do it as they do
when constructing bridges, i.e. build a cofferdam, cap it
off, then let the water back in.  But, hard to build a
cofferdam at those depths.

Regards,
           Richard
--- timEd 1.10.y2k+