My own view is that we should attempt to use a new method to stop the oil leak. It’s amethod I invented that I call liquid nitrogen injection. Since I invented it only two days ago it has never been tried, but I think it may be an effective solution to certain offshore oil well leaks, particularly for the BP well in the gulf of Mexico, that began leaking about 60 days ago. Liquid nitrogen injection would involve extending a pipe down to the well head, and injecting liquid nitrogen into the area around the well head. The liquid nitrogen should cause the oil to freeze, so it will not leak out.
Nitrogen exists in a gaseous state at normal room temperature but turns into a liquid if it is cooled to a temperature of approximately two hundred degrees below zero. Nitrogen is not a toxic chemical, it is naturally present in the Earth’s atmosphere, so using liquid nitrogen to freeze the oil leak will not pollute the ocean. Several different modes of injection are possible. The most effective way would be to inject the liquid nitrogen directly into the hole. When the oil comes into contact with the super-cold liquid nitrogen, it should freeze. When it freezes it should be transformed into a frozen tar-like substance that would be stiff enough to plug up the hole, and prevent more oil from leaking out.
Another mode of injection would involve injecting liquid nitrogen into the dirt and sand that surrounds the hole. This method may be used when it is impossible to determine the exact location of the hole. Even if the injection point is several inches away from the hole itself, the effect of freezing the dirt and mud around the hole may be sufficient to freeze the oil itself, so the leak will stop.
A third method would involve dropping a plastic cover into the water,and allowing it to sink down to the bottom of the ocean, so it will cover the hole. The plastic cover would resemble a large tent. After the plastic cover has been placed on top of the hole, the liquid nitrogen would be pumped into the plastic cover,so the sea water inside the plastic cover will freeze. Freezing the sea water above the hole may prevent oil from leaking out of the hole. A combination of all three of these methods may be used.
The liquid nitrogen method requires a ship capable of carrying liquid nitrogen to the site of the oil spill, and also requires the ship to be equipped with a crane that is capable of lowering a pipe to the bottom of the ocean, as well as a means of guiding the tip of the pipe, so the pipe’s tip can be brought as close to the well as possible.
