gCaptain asked forum members to submit ideas when developing the ship tracking iPhone Application gTrax. The USCG has used social media for the last few years to communicate and solicit ideas from the public. And the Department Of Homeland Security now has dozens of links to departments that blog, twitter and otherwise interact with the online community. Is the oil giant BP the next to go open source?
In August of last year gCaptain interviewed Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen. When asked about the future of social media in his organization he replied:
The ultimate goal as I see it is mission execution which is the focus of everything we do here. Social media, being able to align people and create better transparency, allows us to focus the organization to be more effective. The more we can make information transparent, not only to our own people but the American public, the better everyone will understand what the organization is trying to do and assist in moving all of us in the same direction.
With Admiral Allen now incident commander in charge of the Gulf Oil Spill response, it is no surprise that the official website created to track the oil spill contains links to the social media sites flickr, youtube, facebook and twitter. Each of these sites containing information and multi-media detailing all operations currently underway in the gulf.
Just today BP released this image via the photo sharing website flickr showing, in graphic detail (click the image for the hi-resolution version) the next plan to shut in the oil well:
As interesting as the graphic and myriad of information contained on the official website is, it’s only of limited use if the information only flows in one direction (i.e. from them to you).
Today BP announced via twitter that it’s accepting ideas to stop the flow of oil. You simply visit THIS LINK, fill out the form and your idea to stop the well flow is submitted to BP directly. Suddenly, not only you, but mechanical, fluids and subsea engineers world-wide can offer real solutions to this problem.
So what’s the next step BP needs to take in order to truly excite the powerful minds of the web generation? Take an note from the X-Prize and offer a $10 million reward for the idea that solves the problem. With the company currently burning $33 million per day on the response, this is a fraction of the total cost BP is spending on this incident.
UPDATE: We started a forum post to illicit ideas. So if you have one, an idea that is, fill out BP’s form then CLICK HERE to share it with our forum members.
GOM Oil Spill Answers by Jeffrey Allan Sousa: The presser is too much so acquire a negative with a huge suction and then CAP IT that simple.
[...] As you’re probably well aware, there’s a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico right now. When BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and then sank last month, it began dumping thousands of barrels of oil into the Gulf each day. By the time the oil stops leaking, it’s expected to be the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Yeah, it’s bad. It’s so bad, that BP and several other organizations working on the spill are apparently running out of ideas. And they’re turning to Twitter, according to gCaptain. [...]
[...] As you’re probably well aware, there’s a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico right now. When BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and then sank last month, it began dumping thousands of barrels of oil into the Gulf each day. By the time the oil stops leaking, it’s expected to be the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Yeah, it’s bad. It’s so bad, that BP and several other organizations working on the spill are apparently running out of ideas. And they’re turning to Twitter, according to gCaptain. [...]
Line the shrimp boat hulls with a plastic bag. Attach used bed sheets to the shrimp nets(this should let the water through and keep the oil in the sheet. Line them all up and send them across the gulf. Once the hulls are full have tankers near by to extract the oil and repeat until the gulf is clean. Once the clean up is complete remove the plastic bags, sanitize the hull and start shrimping.
Rather than pay higher disaster labor prices. Offer fuel vouchers where they are guaranteed BP fuel for a sale price of $.25 a gallon for the next ten+ years to the boat owners deferring your cost now.
BP as soon be state inspector in real estate and having plumbing knowledge we use what is called a plumbers stopper. it is hard rubber balloon that is ribbed to grip the pipe inside then inflated with air to stop the flow of air – water and natural gas fire departments use them to do rescues as well, try this i am sure it will do the trick with robotic arms to set in place and the air supply hooked to it for a constant air supply it will stop the flow while you fix the leak.
I think we should create a “metal shirt” it has two arms like a shirt. We cap
it on the open space and filter the oil from the gas .The oil goes up one arm and the gas the other. On the surface gas goes on one barge and oil on the other . Then it is brought to land. That is my idea and I am 10 years old.
I think we should create a “metal shirt” it has two arms like a shirt. We cap
it on the open space and filter the oil from the gas .The oil goes up one arm and the gas the other. On the surface gas goes on one barge and oil on the other . Then it is brought to land. That is my idea and I am 10 years old.
I have designed a few different ideas to shut the flow from the BOP. I have been going at this blindly as there was not much information at the time. I have not been able to get much or any help from people that knows more about this but it has not kept me from research and brainstorming. The first idea that I had was basically a modified hot tap to be installed on the riser just above the BOP. Not knowing how much good riser stands above the flex connector I was thinking that this may work. Here is a link to the animation, http://www.wehdeinteractive.com/Deepwater/BestS… . This design if there is room to install would allow a diversion valve to be opened so the pressure would not exceed burst integrity of the existing riser. Then once installed with new riser diversion valve is closed and riser valve opened.
I came up with the second method once I saw the framework that surrounds the BOP. The design is self explanatory in the animation below. Obviously there is some factors to consider in this design but the general theory is there. Here is a link to animation http://www.wehdeinteractive.com/DWHsafeTopKill….
Then in basically the same method as above remove the riser from the flex joint. from what I understand the drill string is still there and I would think that it is held in place by the shear ram in the BOP. So the drill string needs to be cut along with the riser. Yes you will have full head of pressure coming out limited by the restriction of the bop. After the riser and string is cut now you can remove the rise flange from the flex joint. There should be a Collet connector on top of that. Now either press into place from above (more difficult) a new valve in open position with a collet connector attached. Then once the valve is in place close the valve. Otherwise use a device like in the first animation that you are able to install from the side in a clam shell fashion to attach to the collet connector and then proceed to close valve.
Magnets,Use round magnet with a hole in the middlle the size of the pipe,split the magnet in half and bring that half down to the pipe and attach it to the pipe,then bring down the other half of the magnet down and attach it around the pipe to the other magnet,Continue this procedure until the hole is covered and sealed.One magnet ontop of another,this will stop the flow and also save the loss of oil and wild life.
why don't they try to freeze the pipe with Liquid hydrogen, or tecni azot or some other gas? i think it should downsize the pressure flow to the point where they can actually do something with getting it plugged. they can also try freezing the oil on the top which would make it a lot easier to collect.
I think BP could try to; 1. Gauge the pressure of the oil flow coming out of the pipe (meaning, checking to see how fast the oil is shooting out of the pipe) 2.Create a machine (if not already created).. that will act as sort of a shop/ wet vac, that will match the pressure… if not a little more… of the spewing pipe to where the oil is being sucked out of the pipe at the same rate…or a little more, than the pipe flow. 3. The mouth of the vacuum hose could be shaped like a plunger head so it could fit, just over, the mouth of the pipe. This mouth could be capped or uncapped (letting the vac's hose to fill with water or not), but the vacuum shouldn’t be started until the two mouths are close enough for the vacuum to “latch” on. 4. The vacuum should be mounted to or, apart of, a vessel (mini?) which will allow the oil to “fill up”. While the vessel is taking in the oil from the vacuum, awaiting vessels should be pumping that oil into drums or into a larger vessel to fill drum… in turn, creating a “mini” oil rig. This will save BP and the American people money, and will also save our helpless wildlife that are be taken over by this….
Am I missing something here? Remove the BOP's first. Yeah that part will suck but with all those fancy robots one of them should be able to turn a casing cutter for cold cut. Expose and cut the casing at a workable height. Have inverted slip assembly mounted to bottom of replacement BOP. Have shallow seal assembly (similar to annular preventor or bag) below pipe rams for added protection. (just above the slips) Lower and Install BOP (in open position) over and onto the Csg stub. Slips grab / Seal assembly seals around Csg / Lower pipe rams close / Blind rams on BOP's close / Oil stops / Ducks live. rod flowtechconsulting97@gmail.com