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I don't know how easy or realistic it is to reclaim crude oil that has spilled into the sea but the situations associated with the underwater oil well that is gushing into the Gulf of Mexico could be resolved if they would just allow anyone who wants the oil to take it. The high global demand for crude
oil solves this problem.. at least temporarily while BP is figuring out what to do about it.
I'm sure that the competing oil companies have enough money and technology to separate the water from the oil and reclaim it before it continues to hit the shorelines.
Wikipidia: The Deepwater Horizon (BP) oil spill
http://en.wikipedia...r_Horizon_oil_spill
General background. [jutta, May 08 2010, last modified May 09 2010]
The Worthing 'Wood Slick'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7198735.stm
Leaf that alone! [S-note, May 10 2010]
Arsonist helps clear worthing beach driftwood
http://news.bbc.co..../sussex/7249135.stm
You knew it was going to happen.. [S-note, May 10 2010]
Nuke that slick
http://trueslant.co...04/nuke-that-slick/
[swimswim, May 11 2010]
Adam Smith
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Smith
[normzone, Jun 26 2010]
US Refuses Assistance
http://en.wikipedia...ffers of assistance
Wikipedia on the BP oil spill [pashute, Jun 30 2010]
[link]
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Your two paragraphs seem to contradict each other. If you don't know how easy / realistic it is to reclaim crude oil that has spilled into the sea, how can you be sure that it's commercially viable? |
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And if it is possible for other (competing) companies, why wouldn't it be possible for BP itself? |
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I don't think even Adam Smith has the necessary upper body strength to close this pipe single-invisible-handedly. |
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Quick back-of-the-envelope calculation:
Current price of a barrel of crude oil = $75
Estimated spillage: 5,000-25,000 barrels/day.
Maximum possible cleanup cost: $375,000-1,875,000/day.
Hm. |
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//if they would just allow anyone who wants the oil to take
it// They already do: it's called "merit salvage." |
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It is very possible to retrieve and use oil from seawater. In
fact, BP is probably already doing it. |
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Just a question: do all the volatiles remain, or is it just a mass of thick tar after some time? |
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//Free Crude Oil// They have. |
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//I don't think even Adam Smith has the necessary upper body strength to close this pipe single-invisible-handedly.// Love it! |
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Wood slicks are much more fun. |
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On land they close oilwell fires with explosives. I wonder why they do not do the same underwater. All these domes and valves. Can't they just blow it up real good? |
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// Can't they just blow it up real good?//
Bungston, comrade, a link for you. And note the excellent vocabulary word: petrocalamity. |
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[bungston] The explosion is just to blow the fire out. They
still have to cap the pipe once the fire is out. |
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But I'm not sure why they don't drill down beside it and drop
in a huge amount of high explosives. The well goes through
several hundred feet of rock, and the drill pipe sheath is
there to keep it from collapsing (kind of like the supports in
a mine). If the hole was destroyed, it would stop leaking. |
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Then no more oil? I wonder why they havent done that already.......... |
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//But I'm not sure why they don't drill down beside it and
drop in a huge amount of high explosives.//
Maybe
because it would interfere with resuming drilling
operations after the clean up? I imagine the existing hole
shows on BP's books as an asset, which cost a lot to create,
and from which they were hoping to extract revenue.
They may be weighing the value of that asset against the
value of property damage for which they can expect to be
sued. Which is only a subset of the total damage
done.
I'm just speculating. I always jump to the most cynical
conclusion available. |
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+ I gave you a + vote just from the title. |
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Nothing in the idea description made me want to neutralize my vote. |
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I don't care if they pay people 40 cents a bucket, you can scoop a hell of a lot of buckets (5 gal pickle barrel) - they are losing $400,000 / day in oil - nevermind the environmental costs. |
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Say they rig one of those gigantic tanker ships with scaffolding on the sides & you & 3 other people run the opposite fireman brigade - bail & do it again thing ... |
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If that tanker had the capability of filtering out the seawater from the oil, they'd get their money & so would some of the 10 million currently unemployed. |
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//They already do: it's called "merit salvage."// |
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I heard on the radio that somebody had proposed
this and the gubment or BP or both said the oil is
private property and people can't have it. If that's
true then idiots truly are in charge of this. Either
that or people who are so used to playing by the
rule book they do so even when there isn't any
rule book. |
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I would argue that private property ceases to
become private when it starts destroying other
property. I'd like to see somebody just go get it
and watch BP sue to get it back. |
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Make sure you hold the trial in the Gulf states. [+}
by the way. |
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