Enormous Size of Oil Spill is Alarming

GULF OF MEXICO (Hollywood Backstage) -- OIL SPILL APPEARS MUCH BIGGER NOW -- Satellite images show the enormous size of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and it is becoming extremely alarming. Heavy patches of oil have drifted North East about 35 miles closer to Florida. Small Patches of oil have reached Islands surrounding Chandeleur Sound, but the stunningly mammoth oil spill has gotten much larger in the past two days. The exceedingly wicked mass of crude oil remains floating off the Gulf Coast. It is now up to weather, tides, currents and winds to push the oil slick across the sea or to coastal areas and beaches.

BP is implementing the "dome container" project which aims to place a large chamber over the top of the main leak in the mangled riser pipe (the oil pipe coming from the blow out preventer which sits on the well head and was destroyed in the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon Rig). The dome container is a box shaped, cone topped oil containment device which will be placed over the leaking pipe and sink 15 feet into the mud at the sea floor. Such a feat has never been attempted at 5000 feet under the ocean.

Scientists and engineers from BP have devised the dome container to capture as much as 85% of the oil coming out of the main leak in the riser. They hope to contain all of the oil.

A new 23 inch drill pipe will be lowered down 5,000 feet to the area of the spill. The pipe will be attached to the top of the containment dome. Within that pipe is another 6.5 inch pipe which will bring the oil up from the containment dome. The area surrounding the 6.5 inch pipe is known as the annular area. Water will be pumped down to the containment dome to keep the temperature from getting too cold.

As the oil escapes from the well, it has the potential to create what are being called ice plugs in the riser pipe. These ice plugs can be formed by hydrates in the chemical composition of the oil which contain gases that will freeze at temperatures above 32 degrees. In other words, these gases can freeze and create ice plugs in temperatures higher than normal freezing temperature. The temperature at the site of the well head is 42 degrees. The freezing point of seawater is about 28.4°F. Colder temperatures can also form a type of sludge that could potentially cause the pipe to become blocked. They must keep the pipe warm to allow the oil to flow up to the ship.

In order to mitigate that possibility, BP experts and engineers will pump both warmer surface water and methanol through the outside of the pipe to keep the flow within the drill pipe moving. The pressure will come from the oil contents which contain gases that rise to the surface and expand as the oil in the pipe rises to the surface.

The gases contained in one barrel of oil would create 3,000 cubic square feet of gas.

Once the pipe is fitted to the containment chamber, several days will be needed to determine the correct balance of water and methanol to create a stable system.

The Enterprise tanker ship that will be used to collect and separate the crude into oil, gas and water can hold up to 128,000 barrels of oil. The water, once separated, will be drained back to the ocean. The gas will be flamed on site as part of the separation process.

VENICE, La. - Gathered concentrated oil burns during a controlled oil fire in the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. Coast Guard, working in partnership with BP, local residents, and other federal agencies, conducted the controlled burn to aid in preventing the spread of oil following the April 20 explosion on Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit Deepwater Horizon. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Justin E. Stumberg. Click the photo to see a video of the controlled burn.