Oil spill means one thing: first, stanch the oil flow; second, stop using oil to fuel this world; tighten the noose around oil until all nations stop drilling for oil and using oil for cars and machines and airplanes -- OR DO YOU REALLY WANT YOUR DESCENDANTS, IF THERE ARE ANY, TO LIVE IN POLAR CITIES in the YEAR 2500?

A very smart petrophysicist says this, which implies that it's not out of the question to consider controlled explosions as a way to stanch the oil flow in Louisiana and the Gulf now. Bloggers are seeking to stimulate some creative thinking among engineers and others not wedded to 'in box' solutions like months-long effort to drill a parallel relief well.


One response so far:



It's all about regaining control of the well, not preserving it. As you may have allready discovered in your resarch, control means harnessing high pressure oil and gas to flow at a regulated rate or to be shut off completely.
All wells must be controlled from their conception and through their productive life until they are plugged and abandoned (P&A).
Control is maintained at the wellhead, a sophisticated valve assembly, which in the case of the Deepwater Horizon is stuck open and inoperable (loss of control).
Regaining control can be accomplished either by restoring functionality to the existing wellhead or by drilling a relief well to penetrate the existing well, then plugging the well.
With that said, an explosion would have to be of sufficient depth and magnitude to cause the well to cave in sufficiently to plug itself and stay plugged, or stay plugged long enough to drill the relief well.
It will be intesting to see if the DOD thinks they can do that.
As the crisis deepens, I have to believe that BP is open to all suggestions which will stop their growing economic loss.
My apologies if you allready have all this information.

Regards,
Rob

for MORE INFO, go to DOT EARTH BLOG at New York Times website