We need a mechanical solution to the Gulf oil geyser. The conesounds great but it would not stand up to currents, according to comments from ocean-wise kossacks.
Here's an idea that builds off Corpania's diary with significant modifications.
Corpania envisions containers (I picture them as essentially bell jars) hovering over the geyser, collecting the stuff, moving off to let it separate from water, then the oil being pumped to the surface. Several of these can do the job, it is proposed.
This faces the same problem that foiled the big box: condensation of waxes and the formation of blobs of frozen methane (hydrates) that clogged everything up, as predicted by Fishgrease. Here's his description of the problem:
If they're really thinking this problem is all-ice (all hydrates), then they'll be looking at methane hydrate tables of temperature and pressure. They'll use shitloads of methanol (not ethanol, as CNN reported).
Parrifins, matrixed with asphaltene threads, (super-wax, basically) will form at higher temperatures and methanol won't touch it. They looked through their bot cameras on the sea-floor and saw white patches. Ice. Beneath that ice is wax. I'll bet anything it's the primary problem.
If they adjust for methane hydrates, this still won't work. They'll wax-up. They're going to have to get things hot. Not warm. Hot. You can't do that without a gas or oil-fired line heater at the surface. You can't run a gas or oil-fired line heater in the middle of an oil slick and you can't run it where you're venting neutral gas from the well.
If they haul that dome to the surface to inspect it, the hydrates will go away on the trip topside. They'll find the wax, though. That stuff will be there until they melt it off.
So the same thing would happen in smaller bell jars. What to do? How about this: Use a series of bell jars that will fill and be lifted (floated) to the surface, emptied, cleaned of wax and reused. The wax can be melted or scraped out mechanically or both.
The hydrates will melt on the way up and can perhaps even be captured if the bell jars can do something that tricky. Otherwise the methane would just push the oil out of the bell jar, unless it was big enough to hold the gas and the oil. I don't know what would be best to deal with this.
It's kind of like a bucket brigade, in reverse, containing the uprising liquid. What's wrong with this? Could it work? Better than a nuke?
Gotta run but will be back to see if anyone noticed this diary and thank all who comment.