A Proposed Solution to the Oil Spill in the Gulf

This is a design for a device to stop oil leaking from the damaged BP well string on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico, or any similar situation where the end of the well pipe is accessible to an ROV. It can be modified, by enlarging the central ram, to accommodate an oil recovery pipe along the centerline, or broken into linked segments for curved or compromised pipe.

I'm licensing this under the Creative Commons with the hope that someone will stuff this sucker into that well string by the end of this week!

POPS Abstract (PDF)

POPS Design Illustration (PDF)

F. Odell Pullen, Architect – fodell [at] bellsouth.net

Harry K. Whitver, Illustrator – hwhitver [at] gmail.com

May 14, 2010

SUBJECT: A DEVICE TO STOP THE DEEP UNDERWATER PIPELINE LEAK FROM RELEASING OIL INTO THE GULF

INVENTORS: F. Odell Pullen, 119 Allendale Drive, Nashville, TN 37205

Harry K. Whitver, 409 Brook Hollow Road, Nashville, TN 37205

ABSTRACT

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SUBJECT

The device described in this abstract is basically a plug that, when successfully installed, will remain in place until such time as a way is implicated

to collect oil from the failed well. It is not the intent for this system to collect any of the oil and natural gas that is being expelled but to stop the flow.

THE STOPPER OR PLUG SYSTEM

(Refer to the included illustration.)

The mechanics of the PLUG are simple and rely on the pressure of the oil within the pipe to shut down the flow. The penetrator is a steel, asterisk shaped ram, tipped by a sharp cone and fitted with an expandable plug and a series of spring-loaded toggles. This, in turn, is encased in a cylindrical sheath, designed to hold everything closed until the device is installed and the sheath retracted.

The overall diameter should be kept under ½ the diameter of the well string so that, when inserted into the pipe, the interruption of the oil flow would be kept to a minimum. Just behind the conical head and the first set of toggles would be a reinforced circular seal, which is about equal in diameter to that of the outside diameter of the oil pipe. This circular seal shape is the actual oil stopper seal. Since the diameter of this circular seal is slightly larger than the inside diameter of the oil pipe, it should provide a seal to the pipe and against the oil flow. This seal is similar to the seal that is typically used in the wheel cylinder of braking systems on vehicles to keep the hydraulic oil from going past the piston and into the brake cylinder chamber. The seal is folded in such a way as to allow the oil pressure in the pipe to force it open. Of course, the folded shape would be no larger in diameter than that of the cone base and, when activated, unfold to its actual diameter within the oil pipe. What the circular seal is made of - rubber, neoprene, carbon fiber, silicone, Kevlar or combinations of these materials, is to be determined.

Behind this seal will be a metal circular shape intended to provide backup structure for the seal. In front and behind this circular seal will be special spring loaded metal unfolding toggles similar in intent to the toggles of a common toggle bolt. These would be folded down against the ram and held in place along with the seal by a cylindrical sheath before the PLUG is inserted in the pipe. When activated, will unfold to fit within a diameter that is slightly larger than the interior diameter of the oil pipe. On the ends of these metal toggles will be spikes intended to "dig" into the inside of the oil pipe, keeping the whole PLUG from backing out of the pipe and centering the device for optimal plug deployment.

SETTING THE PLUG IN PLACE

This whole device will be fabricated and then delivered to the site of the oil spill by deepwater robotic device. The robot’s equipment will include a fastener to tie onto the oil pipe for stability and control, and an attachment to insert the device into the oil pipe. Once inside the pipe, the PLUG will be activated by removal of the sheath; the toggles will spring open, allowing the spikes to imbed into the pipe to keep the pressure of the oil from pushing the PLUG out. The seal opens to take the pressure within the oil pipe, stopping the flow of oil.

This last sequence will have to be done quickly and in the order described because of the extreme push of the oil pressure against the whole PLUG. As stated earlier, the pressure of the oil will now be on the whole PLUG-sealing device, which will only seal and hold tighter as the pressure of the oil pushes against it. This device works like the “shark teeth” of PEX residential plumbing joints.

In summary, this PLUG device should be a rapid, straight forward fabrication that can be quickly deployed and, when inserted and activated, should stop the flow of oil to allow time for later pressure relief and oil recovery operations.

Sincerely,

F. Odell Pullen

cc: Harry K. Whitver

(With drawing attachment)

8. Bass Hollow Barn

Brian Smart stands for a portrait with his Bass Bandit, a Camaro set up for the local dirt tracks around North Alabama. His garage is the upper barn on my wife's family farm; the barn, built by Colleen's father and grandfather in the '20s, is now too fragile to serve its original purpose. With this piece, I've done my duty as a Tennessee artist and painted the obligatory barn, and had a good time doing it.

Oil on Canvas  30"X40"  2008

7: Bill and Sally

I just completed this little piece, taken from a sunny day in 1974, Bill and Sally Davis in their MG TA, bowling along through Percy Warner Park. Though a bit grayer and wiser, the trio can still be seen at speed along the Natchez Trace. This oil took only a few days to complete. Funny how some pieces simply leap from the bristles of the brush. Not so easy with my latest painting. More to come.

Oil on Canvas, 36" X 20" May 2008

6: Jag XK 120

Finally back to painting and posting new work on my blog. This close-up is of the car that changed America forever. The Jaguar XK 120 hit the US like a lightning bolt in 1949, showing everyone what a street legal high performance car could do. It also had the most beautiful lines

of any car of the time. Jag did it again in the '60s with the E-type, and then the company sank back to making English Buicks for the doctor / lawyer / broker set.

Oil on canvas, 46" X 18", from photography at the July 2001 Jag meet in Franklin, TN.

5: Hong Kong

1967, Hong Kong. John Roach, Larry Johnson, Mike Beckley and I, in our crisp Navy whites, wandering around the British Crown Colony, Nikons clicking away at every interesting visual. Fresh from H&I fire support off Danang, the Providence crew spread out for a three day R&R in one of Asia's most alluring ports of call. I got lucky with this shot of a typical lorry at dockside, as well as a couple great shots of the MV Wayfoong, a subject for a painting I'm currently creating.

Oil on canvas, 2006~2008, 30" X 36" 

4: Not so still life

A lovely summer day, and here I am, my head buried in the engine bay of an elderly Rolls, drawn by all the polished brass and aluminum. As with the finned manifold of a blown Alfa, or the bewildering complexity of a mighty Merlin, or here with the carb and air cleaner of a Rolls, the beauty of vintage machinery can be as alluring as the exterior. In the case of my little Citroen 2CV, not so much.

Oil on Canvas, 2008 22" X 28"

3: Reclining Nude

Aston Martin Odalisque is an Oil I completed late last year, a DB6 double overhead cam engine, that reminded me of a reclining nude, smooth, powerful, sensual desirability, lounging in one of the sexiest coupes ever built.

This was great fun and started me on a series of automotive detail paintings with the goal of a show here in Nashville, perhaps at Jeff Lane's superb museum.

Oil on canvas, 2007, 48" X 24"