An interesting technology exists in the constant battle to overcome problems with deep sea oil spills that occur from time to time as a direct result of man’s constant desire for ever more mineral oil to fuel his gas-hungry automobiles and industrial machines.

When an oil leak develops, such as the massive one that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico at a BP oil rig, the resulting oil spill containment operation needs to swing into action fast to prevent the spread of the contaminants in the direction of land masses and their beaches and coastline. One such technology is the oil spill containment dome which is basically a huge metal dome that is placed above the sea floor oil leak and is meant to funnel the leaking oil upwards to a pipeline affixed to the top of the dome and connected to a waiting ship on the surface. The theory is to pump the oil via the dome through the pipe to the waiting ships that have specialist equipment to burn off the oil.

So far the theory that was put into practice in the Gulf met with problems caused by the formation of gas hydrates, which are slushy crystal formations that form under pressure and are made up of natural gas and water. The resultant sludge managed to plug the dome’s opening at its apex that was supposed to do the funneling of the oil geyser directly into the pipes that were connected to the waiting ship.

Such a dome is capable of capturing somewhere in the region of 700,000 gallons of oil in a 24 hour period, although it has to stay in place and teams need to work around the clock to ensure that the spillage doesn’t get out. Most of the waste oil is actually burned off by special ships that are positioned around the area. However, problems also occur when sea movement or mistakes by the team managing the dome cause it to move and then further leaks will occur, which happened during the Gulf disaster.

What is the answer to this recurring problem?

Companies that are based in countries like the United States that are the worlds biggest consumer of oil should be spending some of that massive oil revenue into finding alternative sources of fuel that are cost effective and more efficient and that do not pollute our planet. Crying and blaming an oil company for the spill is not enough. The oil using nations ALL need to hold up their hands and admit it is part of their ravenous thirst for oil that causes companies like BP and others to drill for oil in inhospitable places like out to sea.

The chances of that happening? (cue image of people rolling on the floor laughing)

Ha! Fat chance.