Gulf oil spill: Setback for untested containment dome

 

BP officials said Saturday afternoon that they have encountered a 
setback in deploying a 100-ton containment dome over the massive Gulf of Mexico oil leak, but were not ready to declare the effort a failure.

Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles said that hydrates --- crystals that look like slush --- had formed at the top of the dome, clogging the opening that is supposed to funnel oil up to a waiting ship.

The four-story metal structure was moved aside and is resting nearby on the seafloor, 5,000 feet beneath the surface, while engineers attempt to figure out a solution.

Suttles expects it will take several days to try and remedy the problem.  Over the past day officials have been careful not to raise expectations about this containment strategy, which has never  before been attempted at such ocean depths.

--Bettina Boxall

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Graphic by Mark Hafer

  

Comments

[RICHARD]

ANYONE THAT WILL LISTEN I AM THE REAL MAGYVER ...THE FUNNEL WAS MADE WRONG IT NEEDED A VENT AT A 45* ANGLE FLOWING SEA WATER WITH THE OIL TO PREVENT THE CRYSTALS FROM FORMING. IF YOUR ATTEMPT FAILS MAKE ANEW ONE TAKE AWATER TOWER CUT OFF HALF THE TOP AND THE BASE WHERE THE NECK BEGINS TURN IT UPSIDEDOWN NOW YOU HAVE A FUNNEL UPSIDEDOWN NOW CUT A 12 INCH HOLE INTO THE SIDE OF THE NECK GOING UP THE SAME DIRECTION THE OIL WILL BE GOING TRUST ME IT WILL WORK. ANYONE THAT KNOWS ME WOULD TELL YOU I WOULD NOT HAVE SAID IT UNLESS I KNEW IT WOULD.SIMPLE

[Tobias Sanyi]

In the future authorities shouldn't allow BP leaders to have holiday anywhere else but only on the coasts the spill poisoned . This way they will think it twice next time what they do.

[Rich Barkholz]

tell them to use bubblerws the same thing they use on docks to keep ice from forming around ships and docks.

[WilliamPGH]

Why dont they just drop an explosive charge down the tube have it explode at a certain time and plug it up with falling debris? Then take a robotic sub with some sorta plug compound and inject it into the upper part of well?

[notsofastbub]

i work for a company that uses ammonia for a refrigerant. if i want to clear the clogged liquid feed line of anhydros ammonia chrystals i simply shut off the liquid feed valve and open the hot gas valve which melts the chrystals and allows the liquid ammonia to flow once again.what i would do in the case of the gulf oil spill containment dome is pump hot air and glychol down the riser tube and melt the chrystals by raising their mean temprature. the glychol would heat up and prevent the chrystals from forming again while the hot air coming in from the side of the riser would maintain the flow. as far as republicans/conservatives go, i,m very sure that the democrates have had their fair share of botched operations (ain,t that right monica?)

[SPO101]

So, BP DIDN’T have a back-up plan? BUT they did hire cute sorority girls to act as spokespersons…
(Yea, and don’t ya just love those wonderful commercials on TV where Oil Companies and other multi-national Corporate entities are our best friends and patriotic Americans. NOW, when I snap my fingers… you‘ll feel happy and refreshed, lol)

The Republican Party… ONLY a Mother could love.

If one is REALLY a “great American” they would take the 5 minutes it takes to Goggle fact check what Republicans in Congress and Conservative spokespersons like Rush Limbaugh/Sarah Palin are propagating. Progressives already KNOW the TRUTH AND THAT IS WHY WE ARE WORKING SO HARD AGAINST THE Republican Party.

Progressives want to save America. Every problem the USA is now facing can be traced back to a culture of Republican Party LOW GRADE THOUGHT PROCESSES and rich guy Conservative ideology. Bush/Cheney and the Republican controlled Congress of 1994-2006 put this warped policy into practice. The money pit WARS, unfunded policy, corporate welfare, reckless economics, Wall Street fraud, banking scandal, the UNREGULATED oil spill in the Gulf, on & on &…

The maddening part of this phenomenon is that Republicans/Conservatives either refuse or don’t possess the capacity to ADMIT THEY WERE WRONG! These right-wing hypocrites constantly make WEAK excuses, avoid accountability like the plague and dance around any issue like Charles Krauthammer… lol. Only in right-wing world can silver spoon LOSERS like William Kristol AND Jonah Goldberg make a good living from being WRONG all the time…

Just look at the Oil drilling disaster in the Gulf. WHY is it that every other civilized nation on the planet, EXCEPT the USA, REQUIRES Oil drilling operations to have back up plans and top shelf shut off valves in case of emergency?

The ANSWER is during The Bush/Cheney Administration regulatory oversight of the OIL Industry was devastated in much the same way as the financial industry. Cheney had his secret meetings with Big Oil executives and put the American People under their thumb. “From 2001 to 2007 there were 1443 serious accidents in off-shore drilling operations resulting in 41 deaths, 302 injuries and 356 oil spills.” (NY Times)

The regulation from the Bush/Cheney Interior Department and Minerals Management Service were turned over to Oil Industry lobbyists. Regulators were too busy with the company sponsored Ho/cocaine parties to notice inequities of the OIL drilling methods and safeguards.

THIS is just one example of 100’s of ways the Republican Party has hurt the American PEOPLE. Who could possibly be stupid enough to keep voting for these Republican/Conservative candidates? I’m going to make sure the children and grandchildren of these Conservative wackos KNOW how they allowed a bunch of vain, self-serving, power mad, greed stricken silver spoon, right-wing Con Artists turn FREEDOM into a delicate concept.

consciousmc.blogspot.com

[B Tucker]

From the same opening they were going to use to pump out the oil (presumably mixed with seawater and silt), can they pump something INTO the box to clear it?

[Bust Trusts]

Excellent spin strategy! Focus on the machines, and the brave technicians and engineers who are trying to solve the problem, instead of the dying turtles and pelicans.

[Urwhatiswrong]

How many people believe we are getting the whole story from BP and the gubment? Methane Hydrates? I think there are scientists who have warned that it's only a matter of time before some drilling company hits a large pocket of these and blows up the world.

[medipatient805]

how did the engineering geniuses behind this not take into account the frigid temperatures at those depths? the water is probably 34 degrees down there and probably colder inside the containment dome

[Rita]

Arrrggghhhhh - I am so glad I took my family to the beach today - absolutely gorgeous perfect day.... This is HORRIBLE!!! Why wouldn't have these dopes anticipated this before lowering the dome?

[Joe]

BP should be liquidated to pay for the damage.

[From the Coast]

this is such bad news....i hope they can get this thing fixed sooner than later before we go back home....