In the meantime...

Create a strong pulling stream near the spill exit, tied to the pipe and above it. Send the results to nearby anchored tankers. Then separate the oil from the water in the tankers, when the tankers report to base.
-- pashute, Jul 01 2010

Dutch oil cleanup ships http://www.financia.../3203808/story.html
[afinehowdoyoudo, Jul 02 2010]

The volumes and pressures involved are non-trivial. Even the largest ship portable pump is not going to be able to pull a significant volume of water from the ocean floor. Getting enough to cause the oil to flow in would be either impossible, or as difficult as drilling the relief wells.
-- MechE, Jul 01 2010


if you wanted to pull stuff up you'd need over 200 pumps along the pipe.

Push on the other hand could be done with one bigass pump at the bottom.
-- FlyingToaster, Jul 02 2010


:-(

Thanks [afinehowdoyoudo]!! It seems that's HalfBaked life!! First you get boned on the presumption that it cannot be done and that it's a WIBNI idea.

Then you get a link that not only is it baked, but it's the best solution!!
-- pashute, Jul 22 2010


pashute, it's not the same thing. Your suggestion involves a pipe to the bottom of the ocean.
The Dutch oil clean-up ships, on the other hand, skim the surface. And don't return to base to separate the oil, either.
The criticisms may or may not be correct[1]. But they've not been rebutted by afinehowdoyoudo.

(The following footnote added 27th July)
[1] I think - not correct. FlyingToaster seems to be thinking of siphoning, which isn't appropriate here.
Since the oil tends to float anyway, and it's entrained with escaping gas, you could presumably let it make its own way up, and just take stuff out at the top. IF you could create a long, sturdy, large bore tube and maintain it in position, then it'd be a piece of piss, so presumably you can't.
-- Loris, Jul 22 2010


That's the HB life pashute.. you can butt something, but it won't be long before it's rebutted!
-- afinehowdoyoudo, Jul 23 2010



random, halfbakery