Do you think this idea could work for capping the oil leak?

I bow down to you. You should be running the show. Great idea. Now, I think I will write my congressman with.. "my idea" and make millions. Seriously, because of your brilliant idea, I just submitted the patent for this idea. It doesn't matter who thinks of it first, even if it is written down. First one to the patent office wins.

http://www.uspto.gov/

Thanks for the idea that is going to make me RICH. I will remember you as I am laying in my bed made of money.

You've posted this idea before.

Conceptually, what you've described is what they are trying to do. They are trying to seal the well with an expanding hydraulic cement plug but in order to be able to inject it in, they have to neutralize the oil flow with drilling mud and they need to control the flow of mud in order to do that. Basically, the issue is until the relief well intercepts the main well, you cannot get anything into that well deflated or not.

As to an actual balloon, you wouldn't be able to make one strong enough. And it's not the main shaft that's leaking but one of the annular sheaths.

This will work if you figure out how to get the balloon into the pipe against the 10,000 psi pressure of the oil coming out of the well.

I think the pressure at that depth is too great for your idea to work. I never understood why the first attempt didn't involve something that is commonly used in the erosion and sediment world, silt bags. Why can't a tremendous impermeable bag be wrapped around the riser, secured, and contain all the oil. That top hat and other containment dome was too rigid and susceptible to ice crystallization.

http://www.layfieldgeosynthetics.com/pages/Product...

It would not make it anywhere near where it needs to be to have any effect, because the foam would float and not sink.

Sounds good. Tell BP that.

that my friend is awesome