VIDEO: High-Res Footage of Ongoing BP Oil Leak

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Dirty Durden

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[citation][nom]SevenVirtues[/nom]No one should be fined, any engineer knows the numerous checks which should be carried out before a part like that is shipped.Obama should stop demanding BP does this and that and concentrate on putting resources into fixing the problem. This is a global problem caused by a global need, and if we're taking his attitude, then America consumes more oil than most so they should have the most blame. See how stupid that line of thinking is?We all need to fix this, and we need to learn from the mistakes.[/citation]
We are also the most productive. Seven Please stop with the world & global thing. If the world is so worried why don't they throw some money at it. If America does not fix it will not be fix. That goes for anything, you name it & if America does not fix it stays broken.
 

SevenVirtues

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[citation][nom]Dirty Durden[/nom]We are also the most productive. Seven Please stop with the world & global thing. If the world is so worried why don't they throw some money at it. If America does not fix it will not be fix. That goes for anything, you name it & if America does not fix it stays broken.[/citation]
Wow, please watch the news or something. The world IS fixing is BP is "British Petroleum" ergo Britain is paying for it.
 

speedemon

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[citation][nom]flachet[/nom]Is it me or does that not seem like its kind of weak, pressure wise?Take a cap with a valve, weld it to the bottom of the existing pipe. When completed, close the valve. I know this is arm chair engineering but....[/citation]


... but only the best idea ive heard
 

zybch

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[citation][nom]Pyroflea[/nom]I'm sorry, but who allowed them to build this rig without a backup plan or two. In Canada we use half-a-billion dollar emergency shutoff valves on our rigs, and drill emergency reserve wells as well. I don't understand how you can drill a mile below the ocean for oil and not even take into consideration the risks.[/citation]

you're forgetting. This is the US and profit trumps all other considerations.
 

Shadow703793

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[citation][nom]9d3tsi[/nom]Here's a crazy thought... Why haven't they just placed either a pipe or a hose over the top of it? To collect the oil that comes up and process it? Or am I missing something[/citation]
Sheer pressure and the length of the tube makes that a bit impractical, but not impossible.
 

thesupermedium

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[citation][nom]Dirty Durden[/nom]Check this out, it is the best way I've seen to clean up the spill. I guess if MIT or some other ivy league school had brought this idea to the table Obama would be all over this. You would see hay all over the gulf. Because the idea come from one of those gun toting, God loving, country boy no one wants to use the idea.It is just to simple, fill a 100 barge with hay, a hay blower & cover the oil in hay, problem solved. When did America stop listening to the simple ideas to fix big problems, why because they did not come from the elites. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5SxX2EntEo[/citation]

I watched that video. I was blown away. Such a simple solution, and very relevant to the southeast where tall grass is more abundant. I am still amazed by it.
 

flachet

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I guess its a good thing I don't live near the ocean, and actually hate fish.

At present....it just feels like zero impact to me. Kind of refreshing really.

I see a lot of people freaking out about it, protesting, boycotting and the like. If not for all the rumbling and constant reports, I would have forgotten about it by now.

Does that make me a little odd? Am I the only one?

I'm sure someone is going to flame the crap out of me for that statement, but at least I'm honest and not a Johnny come lately.
 

dragonsqrrl

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[citation][nom]mlopinto2k1[/nom]dragonsqrrl - On Tom's "Guide" you cannot edit your post.[/citation]
Thanks for the thumbs up, didn't know that. Guess I don't comment on Tom's Guide all that often.
 

Alatheia00

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Here's a crazy thought... Why haven't they just placed either a pipe or a hose over the top of it? To collect the oil that comes up and process it? Or am I missing something



Your not missing anything, the very same thought came to mind. I don't care how deep it is, they got a damn camera down there.

The pipe is broken thats precisely why the oil is leaking in the first place the problem with many of the armchair solutions proposed on this site is the amount of pressure involved, think of a dam with a crack in it and the water is gushing through at incredibly high pressure.

This is an ecological disaster and will destroy some of the most beautiful places on this world, the worst thing is the US is scared to distance itself from BP as it is so reliant on oil and the remaining oil in this world is quickly being sold to countries like China, India and the Europe.
 

swamprat

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[citation][nom]SevenVirtues[/nom]Wow, please watch the news or something. The world IS fixing is BP is "British Petroleum" ergo Britain is paying for it.[/citation]

Nice, just completely overlook accuracy to get jingoistic brownie points.

BP is a group that is formed of a lot of companies, one of which was British Petroleum, another was quite a large US one - it's not had "British" in the name for something like 10 or 20 years. I think it's something like >40% of the shareholders are US based - dividends paid to them are quite impressive too.

Working out how to fix the oil problem would be a better use of time than trying to work out how to blame BP. Maybe if the Chinese do buy out the company they'll force the US parts of it (and sub-contractors) to improve their standards - although I'd suspect you'd need government regulation for that, which people wouldn't vote for if it might increase the cost of oil.
 

SevenVirtues

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[citation][nom]swamprat[/nom]Working out how to fix the oil problem would be a better use of time than trying to work out how to blame BP.[/citation]

Exactly what I said in a previous post, read up.
 

karmakuma

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What I dont get, is why they don't just blow it with some semtex or so in a few 100 feet down the ground. this should put a "natural" cap over the hole... but then again, they would lose the possibility of milking that oil... ...aaah, is it really more important to get whatever oil is there, no matter how bad and high the collateral damage????
 

swamprat

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[citation][nom]SevenVirtues[/nom]Exactly what I said in a previous post, read up.[/citation]
Err, fair point - I was actually complaining about something you'd not done (i.e. using BP's name / history to say it's British and whip up a bit of pro-US fervour) - in fact you were sort of countering that sort of thinking. Oops
 

bildo123

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[citation][nom]9d3tsi[/nom]Here's a crazy thought... Why haven't they just placed either a pipe or a hose over the top of it? To collect the oil that comes up and process it? Or am I missing something[/citation]

I honestly don't get it either, aren't they almost hitting two months? I understand they can't just "shut it off", but it's like they NEVER ever expected or thought about such a thing happening. This is a fine example of where you DO NOT apply reactive planning.
 

v1ze

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You guys all know this wasn't BP's oil rig right? It was leased from Transocean. Plus the preventative device (BOP I believe) malfunctioned. It's not like there aren't any measures taken to prevent this kind of spill.
 

christop

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I know it being a mile down or so in the ocean is kinda of an issue. why the hell can we go to the moon and send probes out in to space but capping this leak that is destroying our ocean is a hard one? One would think there would have been like 2 or 3 safety valves on this but no. Good job B.P
 

v1ze

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[citation][nom]christop[/nom]I know it being a mile down or so in the ocean is kinda of an issue. why the hell can we go to the moon and send probes out in to space but capping this leak that is destroying our ocean is a hard one? One would think there would have been like 2 or 3 safety valves on this but no. Good job B.P[/citation]
There's actually 4 safety valves.
 

jaybus

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[citation][nom]Pyroflea[/nom]I'm sorry, but who allowed them to build this rig without a backup plan or two. In Canada we use half-a-billion dollar emergency shutoff valves on our rigs, and drill emergency reserve wells as well. I don't understand how you can drill a mile below the ocean for oil and not even take into consideration the risks.[/citation]
They did have the emergency equipment. It just didn't work. It seems BP has been neglecting the safety equipment for years and it was non-functional. There is an investigation underway to determine if they in fact had it shut off or bypassed, purposefully disregarding the safety equipment.
 
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