# How would you stop the oil leak? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 24, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-stop-the-oil-leak/544367 "2010-06-24T15:47:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-stop-the-oil-leak/544367/1 "2010-06-24T15:47:54Z")
Mr Ujest said to me the other night, “Why don’t they just take a big rock and plug it up?” Cause, that would have to be a really big rock, but I get where he coming from in a generlized way. My Out-of-My-Butt-Theory is to excavate all of the Dakota’s\*, all the dirt and just dump it into the Gulf area to fill it up, then, when it is high enough, relocate all the people to the Dakota’s. \*It could be Iowa or Wyoming or any other state of your choice. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-stop-the-oil-leak/544367/2 "2010-06-24T15:56:33Z")
I’d marry the pipe. Then it’d stop putting out. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-stop-the-oil-leak/544367/3 "2010-06-24T16:08:31Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > I’d marry the pipe. Then it’d stop putting out. Thread over. You win everything. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-stop-the-oil-leak/544367/4 "2010-06-24T16:09:25Z")
I heard somewhere that the oil coming out is something like 5 times more psi than a bullet comes out of a gun, so that make a lot of the solutions pretty impossible. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-stop-the-oil-leak/544367/5 "2010-06-24T16:41:31Z")
So, what you’re saying is, shoot the pipe five times. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-stop-the-oil-leak/544367/6 "2010-06-24T17:02:24Z")
> [@NurseCarmen](#): > > I heard somewhere that the oil coming out is something like 5 times more psi than a bullet comes out of a gun, so that make a lot of the solutions pretty impossible. You’d think they could devise a strategy that makes it come out at only 4xbullet. Then they could come up with something that makes it come out at only 3x… Can’t they, like, crimp the pipe further up, just a little? Won’t that hinder the flow at least a little? Then further down the pipe, they crimp it a little more… ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-stop-the-oil-leak/544367/7 "2010-06-24T17:08:37Z")
I won’t stop it because like everybody else I don’t know how. Having a problem and people wanting it solved doesn’t mean we can actually do it or at least in a way that is less disastrous. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-stop-the-oil-leak/544367/8 "2010-06-24T17:09:07Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > You’d think they could devise a strategy that makes it come out at only 4xbullet. Then they could come up with something that makes it come out at only 3x… Perhaps we could get conservative commentators to convince the pipe that Obama is coming for our oil, and then it will start conserving ammunition. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-stop-the-oil-leak/544367/9 "2010-06-24T17:11:15Z")
[This graphic](http://www.ouramazingplanet.com/infographic-tallest-mountain-to-deepest-ocean-trench-0249/) gives a hint of just how hard it is to deal with this disaster. I haven’t a clue as to how they can stop it. The relief wells are probably the best hope, but they won’t be ready until August. Or possibly later–this is not a simple project. The best bet is to see how this can be prevented in the future. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-stop-the-oil-leak/544367/10 "2010-06-24T17:22:54Z")
They can’t just plug it or they would have already. The fear is that if they do anything that increases the pressure in the well any higher than it already is (like plug it), it will blow out in multiple places below the surface, further compounding the problem. Hence all the failed schemes to capture the oil as it spews out. The only real solution here is the relief well. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-stop-the-oil-leak/544367/11 "2010-06-24T17:54:29Z")
> [@NurseCarmen](#): > > I heard somewhere that the oil coming out is something like 5 times more psi than a bullet comes out of a gun, so that make a lot of the solutions pretty impossible. I suspect that number is misleading. Remember the pressure of the water a mile deep is pretty high. Approximately 2300 PSI. If the well is at 2310, its only a 10 PSI difference. The 2300 part is irrelevant to the flow rate or the difficulty in stopping it. Looking at the videos, it doesnt look to me like the well pressure is “barrel of gun” higher than the surrounding water. Though I dont know what it actually is. To me, it looks more like “big fire hose” higher pressure. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-stop-the-oil-leak/544367/12 "2010-06-24T18:30:53Z")
Direct, high pressure injection of something dense, inert and useless. I’m thinking lawyers. Pump our _respected_ members of the bar down to the seafloor at 51,000 P.S.I. until the flow stops. Start with Ivy League grads and then work your way west. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-stop-the-oil-leak/544367/13 "2010-06-24T18:50:43Z")
Clearly the only way to stop the leak is to wait until 2012 and vote Republican. Because Republican presidents never play golf or go to baseball games, which is exactly what is keeping our current president from obtaining the solution that scores of highly trained and knowledgeable experts are finding so elusive. Sorry, I gotta stop watching _FOX & Friends_… ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-stop-the-oil-leak/544367/14 "2010-06-24T18:54:08Z")
Have they any idea how big a deposit they have drilled into? I’ve not noticed it mentioned anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-stop-the-oil-leak/544367/15 "2010-06-24T19:30:55Z")
I think putting 3-4 anchors (large concrete blocks with flukes) around the pipe to give some counterpressure capability. From there I would erect a tripod platform with a hydraulic ram to push a big rubber (or steel) stopper into the well head. They keep doing things from moving platforms which just seems to be adding to the difficulty. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-stop-the-oil-leak/544367/16 "2010-06-24T19:33:28Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Have they any idea how big a deposit they have drilled into? I’ve not noticed it mentioned anywhere. [This blog](http://georgewashington2.blogspot.com/2010/06/experts-bp-lowballing-size-of-oil.html) has links to several estimates, from > [@](#): > > Specifically, BP claims that there are 50 million barrels worth of oil in the reservoir underneath the leaking spill site. to > [@](#): > > Given that BP’s nearby Tiber and Kaskida wells each contain at least 3 billion barrels of oil (see this, this, this and this), estimates of more than a billion barrels for the leaking Macondo reservoir are not unreasonable. Don’t know how reputable this guy is, but this might be a good place to start doing research. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-stop-the-oil-leak/544367/17 "2010-06-24T19:34:15Z")
Why not lower a massive bell or dome over it that has a few dozen hydraulicly controlled ports. Lower it down with all the ports in the open position so the oil can siphon through. Close one, attach a pipe, open it and suck oil. Close another, attach another pipe, open it and suck oil. Repeat another 22 times. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-stop-the-oil-leak/544367/18 "2010-06-24T19:37:06Z")
> [@Disheavel](#): > > I think putting 3-4 anchors (large concrete blocks with flukes) around the pipe to give some counterpressure capability. From there I would erect a tripod platform with a hydraulic ram to push a big rubber (or steel) stopper into the well head. They keep doing things from moving platforms which just seems to be adding to the difficulty. Would this be a platform from the wellhead to the surface of the ocean? It would be about a mile high. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-stop-the-oil-leak/544367/19 "2010-06-24T19:41:47Z")
Interesting link, **Bridget**. > [@](#): > > And Rob Kall claims that a source inside BP tells him: > > ``` > Size of reservoir - estimated by BP and its partner, Andarko to be between 2.5B and 10B bbl. (that's 100,000,000,000 gallons and 400,000,000,000 gallons). > > Yes - all of those numbers are BILLIONS. > > ``` > > Given that BP’s nearby Tiber and Kaskida wells each contain at least 3 billion barrels of oil (see this, this, this and this), estimates of more than a billion barrels for the leaking Macondo reservoir are not unreasonable. That doesn’t sound good. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-stop-the-oil-leak/544367/20 "2010-06-24T19:46:10Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > I’d marry the pipe. Then it’d stop putting out. But now someone has to stop the coffee coming out of my nose. The problems never end. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-stop-the-oil-leak/544367.md?page=2)