Sometime early tomorrow, BP will try to stop their month-old geyser of red, sludgy death in the Gulf of Mexico with a “top kill,” injecting a mixture of concrete and mud into the well from the surface. If it doesn’t work, the only option left for stopping the flow is the “junk shot,” injecting a bunch of balls, rubber, and rope into the well head in the hope of clogging it. If neither of these work, I understand we’re SOL until a relief well can finish drilling.
The Boston Globe’s Big Picture has a series of photos of the blowout’s ongoing aftermath. They are truly heart-breaking, and bile-raising. But I couldn’t help but laugh when I read the following comment on The Oil Drum blog:
An analysis of the plans provided by British Petroleum has demonstrated a weakness in the well site. But the approach will not be easy. You are required to maneuver straight down this trench and skim the surface to this point. The target area is only two meters wide. It’s a small thermal exhaust port, right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the well head. A precise hit will start a chain reaction which should cap the well. Only a precise hit will set off a chain reaction. The shaft is ray-shielded, so you’ll have to use proton torpedoes.
That’s impossible! Even for a computer.
It’s not impossible. I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back home, they’re not much bigger than two meters.
Then man your ships. And may the Force be with you.
May the force be with us…
