You could have imagined the consequences of deep oil drilling.

[Are_grits_groceries]

Most people never thought about it. Everybody trusted someone to make sure it was safe.

Have you seen pictures or clips of oil spewing out of a rig on land when a pocket of it is reached?
That spewing is caused by the pressure on the oil from the layers of rock above it. It is considerable on land.

Now imagine the pressure at huge depths. You not only have the pressure of the layers of rock, but also the pressure of the water. It is enormous.

When a pipe hits that oil, the upward movement is tremendous. An oil jugular is hit.

In order for it to be effective there have to be several things that will happen.
1-It has to be capped with a wellhead to control it.
2-The piping must be sufficient to carry the oil for a long period of time. The pressure on the pipes has to be considered. Another factor is the sand flowing in the oil. It will abraid the pipes some from the inside.
3-The pipes also must withstand the temperatures of the water on the outside and the oil on the inside. These are 2 radically different temperatures.

Then it should be safe.
Can the oil flow be stopped if there is a problem such as the one that occurred?
Divers can't go to those depths so are there submersibles designed to work on that machinery?
Is the machinery at the bottom designed so that a submersible can easily work on it?
Are there mechanisms that have been tested to see if they will work to stop the flow at those depths with that type of flow and under those conditions?
Has the whole apparatus been designed for deep drilling or have shallow water rigs been altered some to work? This has been compared to going to the moon because it is so difficult. NASA didn't just wing it with some standard technology at that point.

Working at those depths is at the extreme limits of technology. I don't believe the rigs or other equiment were designed and TESTED in any manner that was sufficient.

In addition, the methods such as the domes have never been used for this large a gusher. All of the methods for stopping the flow if the BOPs don't work are theoretical. They also take a long time to work.

A lot of the methods used now are the ones used in 1969. There hasn't been nearly enough work on new containment and clean up methods. They are also not designed for the rough weather. Skimmers and booms are old, but they shouldn't be discounted. However, have they been greatly improved?

The horse is out of the barn now, and who knows when it will stop galloping?

(I know I probably left a lot out. This is what happens when I mull at 3am. I'll stop my insufferable lesson now. I apologize for my nattering.)

[northernlights]

1. the domes don't even rise the level of theoretical

to be theoretical, they would have to have been subjected to rigorous testing. It's hypothetical. If we try this, maybe that will happen. Maybe.

Instead of trying to contain with plastic booms, they should make booms of material that will soak up the oil...and just keep replacing them as they get loaded with oil. I'll be donating my hair later this week.

[Locrian]

2. I think....

I think that just like 9/11 - a lot of people DID see this coming,
but were told to shut the fuck up.

Not saying conspiracy or anything like that. Just that I can hear it now:
"well, geee golly, who could have predicted THAT?, Huh. Drilling 3 miles down, on a floating platform in the middle of the ocean. Huh, go figure."

[flamingdem]

3. This is why they are arrogant morons who think they're brilliant NOT nt