The Permeable Cone Stocking:

(for a larger view or earlier version (side view detail now removed) - click on image, which takes you to flickr)

I came up with the above idea to stanch the BP oil spill and emailed it to careline@bp.com with this message attached:

To whom it may concern at BP Oil,

I think I may have come up with an idea that will help contain the Gulf spill and can be manufactured relatively quickly. I am not an engineer, but I do have a Master of Industrial Design degree from The Rhode Island School of Design, where I received the Rachel Carson Environmental award for ecologically responsible design.

Please find the attached jpeg sketch of a "Permeable Cone Stocking" concept.

This approach would avoid the complicated chemistry involved in deep sea high-pressure capture efforts by making the tube between the ocean floor leak and the water surface PERMEABLE. As a result, this method allows some oil to escape, but more or less contains it within the cone.

The drawing shows the bottom of the cone nailed to the ocean floor, but upon further consideration, it could simply be attached to a rigid steel hoop and positioned less precisely over the leak - so long as the majority of the spewing was going into the cone.

I very much hope you are able to find a solution soon. Thank you very much, and good luck!

Sincerely,

Eric Lewis

If there's an engineer here on the Kos who thinks he or she might be able to improve upon this idea, I will update the diary with the modifications to the best of my ability. I am also responsive to hearing why this idea might not be at all feasible. Cheers.

UPDATE 1: From mikolo in the comments:

I'll bet that there is an existing geotechnical fabric out there that could bring your idea to fruition. For the record, the geotechnical fabrics are used to stabilize soil.

Hope someone gives you a listen.

UPDATE 2: Our heroic predictor of dome-box fail, Fishgrease comments:

I keep trying to come up with reasons it won't work. I can't. I mean, there would have to be anchor points, possibly a four-cable framework to support it (a mile of anything is heavy). But apart from technicalities, I don't see why something of this general fashion can't work. It can be big. That's good.

and later adds:

I've seen ideas with a fabric umbrella-type arrangement that wouldn't work. Your idea is good because it only restricts oil movement laterally (and gently at that). I mean, we want the oil to go UP! Why restrict that?

and in response to another commenter's query:

This cone of fabric doesn't collect the oil via absorption. It just kinda herds the oil to the surface into a much smaller area than currents and such would normally allow. Once it's on the surface, contained by the floating ring, it's really as simple as sucking the oil onto the boat. And making sure no one lights up a smoke, of course.

I'm just going to keep quoting Fishgrease for as long as possible. ;P

UPDATE 3: Both citizenx and Empty Vessel came up with a great material idea for the stocking. Here's EV's description:

Perhaps we could use shrimping nets. The holes in the nets would be too big initially, but oil would goop up (note technical language use) the holes in the nets and partially seal the whole thing. Sadly, its not like the shrimpers are gonna need the nets anytime soon, and there should be huge quantities available in the gulf coast area.

UPDATE 4: More Fishgrease from the comments:

I think that once the walls of the cone became oil-wet, they would naturally contain the oil. Doesn't take a lot of structure to just point the oil in the general direction you want it to accumulate. There could be a more formidable floating ring at the surface to contain a few feet of oil. There would be natural gas too, of course, but what I like about this idea is that it could be large enough that the gas would disperse, more or less evenly, over a large enough area to reduce the violence. It's genuinely a good idea.

and later:

It would actually become a little lighter, or even neutrally buoyant. I thought for a bit that the ocean currents might be a problem... but they aren't really. The thing would have enough natural elasticity to bend with the currents. I mean, to scale, it's like a long tube, only geting a bit wider toward the surface.

UPDATE 5: see top of diary

UPDATE 6: An excellent construction detail from nailbender in the comments:

...there would need to be intermediate hoops to stabilize the sock against cross currents underwater, and maybe that's how the thing could be installed, in sections, with each upper hoop (bouyed to float at a specific depth) being moored to the bottom with guy wires. I agree that some sort of geocloth would make a good sock. Something that would have a neutral specific gravity, preferably.

The guywires attaching to concentric, descending steel hoops seems brilliant.

UPDATE 7: BP responds: