Why can't this runaway well be blown or imploded?

From the moment that the accident happened. Everyone in the industry knew that it would take a relief well to stop the well and two relief wells were started but it was known that would take at least four months. Using explosives at that depth is very much an unknown quantity, thing about water depth is that expanding gases from a chemical explosion aren't nearly as effective, also a substantial explosion could jeopardize the relief wells. Using explosives of any kind would be trading a known resolution for a gamble to stop it sooner and would not be a good risk assessment.

They are not trying to salvage the oil, that well is now slated for permanent sealing and will never be put into production due to the damage to the well. The containment methods are to try and reduce the $1,000 a barrel fine they are incurring while waiting for the relief wells to seal the well. The problem right now with the containment caps is that they have no where to pipe the contained oil to, as an exploration well there was no production facilities to receive the oil, they have sent out for one but those things are huge and move very slowly, meanwhile they are trying to burn some oil on the Q4000.

Remember, these rigs are in the middle of the ocean, just exactly where do you think all that oil is to be piped to? Salvaging the oil is the last thing on their minds.

The reason they haven't imploded or blown up the well is that it's physically impossible - the rubble required to plug the hole would come from the surrounding rock, which would cause even more oil to spill out, which would have NO degree of being contained.

Sadly, there's no way to stop the well from gushing with current technology - the relief wells are the quickest solution. The focus should be on containing the oil. The best thing to do at this point is to create a giant physical barrier surrounding the well with roughly a half mile radius. The life within that area is already dead or doomed, so morally it's not too taxing. This would contain over 100 billion cubic feet of water, or roughly three quarters of a cubic mile. Assuming the well pumps out another 7 million barrels, the sectioned off area would only will up about 30 inches, or 2 1/2 feet.

My math:

Barrier's volume contained = 2,560 ft x 2,560 ft x pi = 20,588,742 ft^2 x 5,000 ft (depth)

= 102,943,710,000 ft^3

7,000,000 barrels = 51,467,014 f^3

Rise = (7 mil barrels) / (Barrier's area) = 51,467,014 ft^3 / 20,588,742 ft^2 = 2.4997648715 ft =

2.5 ft = 30 in.

These numbers are very reasonable, and with just a sheet of treated metal 5,000 feet wide and 16,588 feet long only 1/8 inch thick is a lot less than the $4.2 billion fine already waiting for them.

This is one mile down so it takes very special equipment to even approach the damaged well. Your idea seems plausible. I thought of that myself but then the implosion (or an external explosion) might not work (I thought it would because of the extremely high pressure at that depth).

One problem is that BP has a long record of not dealing with serious issues. Anyone that thinks they are doing the best they can is not really in a knowledge that they are. Their record shows that they have not been doing the best they could so they have more violations and the worst record of resolve in the industry (reportedly). If they are losing 2.5 million gallons per day and they haven't offered some company a huge amount of money then who is going to stop it. I think they already have shown they do not have the expertise to bring this to a quick resolve. The question is why doesn't the government step in with the Army Core of Engineers or possibly they know (someone knows) who is the world's most qualified expert on this. I don't think BP has that kind of expertise but amazingly they had the expertise to cap it when they drilled.

Another question is why companies deep water drilling off the US are not held to higher standards that are embraced in most drilling around the world. Why wasn't BP required to have a shutoff of some sort and why wouldn't all drilling have shutoff at different levels. What if your house did not have an external shutoff for gas? Or if the water didn't have external shutoff? Come on EPA and politicians. Don't they need to create stronger regulations and safety especially for this type of drilling?

I'm sure BP are paying the best minds in the whole world to work on this problem.

They are not only under pressure from they US government, but most likely conservation groups all around the world.

They would be looking at all ideas and determining which ideas are feasible or not. I don't think just caving in the well would be a simple solution, it must be more complicated than that.

Plus they have to work on salvaging the oil that is out there, because that is the other issue- how to get rid of what is already out there.

I'm certain someone with experience would be able to do this but don't listen to fruitcakes you need a person that has years of experience in demolition and military explosives and blowing deep below surface type well.

It's not just a 4th of july type thing.

I think if it was done by a expert it could work but i think they want to save a well that can repay them their losses.

But what about the ecology and animals and income lost for the nest 40 to 50 years after the so called cleanup.

Can they really ever get the toxins out of the sand & soil?

I don't think so.

MOST common explosives would produce almost NO effect at those pressures.

Larger explosives could make the matter worse by fracturing the pipe AND the surrounding rock creating MULTIPLE escape channels for the oil.

It CAN be blown up. But God forbid BP blow it up, stop it from spilling any more oil and RUINING the waters because they wouldn't be able to tap into it and BP would lose money...cry me a river

I think WE should all get together and blow it ourselves!

Wildlife, sometimes people are just too scared or too in the public eye themselves to be able to implement what needs to be done. But you aren't in the public eye, and your name is anonymous so no one really knows that you are thinking of this. Go for it! Do you have any scuba gear? Some of the underwater dynamite ( I always forget, C4?). I'll back you with moral support. Only a few people will know the true story.

Putting a man on the moon was a priority because

beating the Russians was important and -

They got into orbit first!!!

Defeating Saddam was a trillion dollar mass collective effort,

and he didn't have any weapons of mass destruction. Or effective defense.

That trillion dollar effort was prepared in advance. With great losses to the taxpayers.

Protecting the land, water and natives is not the government's job,

because no liberal hippy enviro freaks were invited to the tables.

Capping the well could be done in TEAMS, of lefty, science academics and fringe evolution believing,

nature loving and understanding commie pinko pacifist green cap and trade tolerators with the ability

to do that sort of thing.

You bold individualists can suggest a nuke from home, but us pinko science geeks don't get invited there much. Good luck. Drill Baby, Drill!

dont no