Reducing the Leak Rate from a Damaged Oil Well by Filling It with Dense Streamlined Objects

Abstract

The enormous pressure lifting the column of oil in a leaking oil well can thwart efforts to seal the top of the well and prevent oil from rising. When the oil cannot be stopped completely, we propose to slow its flow by filling the well with a porous medium. That medium consists of countless small, dense, streamlined objects that are dropped into the well and descend through the rising oil at terminal velocity. The resulting heap of objects couples to the oil via viscous and drag forces, dissipating the oil's energy and upward momentum and significantly reducing its rate of flow.