Closing of Underwater Oil Spills with the Help of Magnetic Powders

Abstract

A segment of a structure mitigates flow of fluid therethrough. In one embodiment the segment includes an opening for the fluid flow and the modified structure may include a ferromagnetic wall defining the opening and a plurality of permanently magnetized particles. Some of the permanently magnetized particles are attached to the wall by magnetic forces. A system is also provided for injecting magnetic particles into a cavity to impede movement of fluid through the cavity. A method is also described for mitigating a flow of fluid through an opening in a wall. In one embodiment, the method includes positioning a plurality of first magnetic particles along the wall and about the opening and attaching a plurality of second magnetic particles to the first magnetic particles wherein some of the second magnetic particles collectively extend across the opening to cover the opening.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An oil well structure positioned about a sea bed in a body of water, comprising:
 a segment of pipe, connected to a well head, having an opening therein through which oil may exit from the pipe and into the body of water;   a blowout preventer comprising one or more valves; and   a plurality of magnetic particles positioned in or about the blow out preventer or in or about the segment of pipe to impede movement of the oil out of the oil well structure and into the body of water.   
     
     
         2 . The structure of claim  11  wherein the pipe is a ruptured tube, the structure further comprising a series of walls extending upward from the sea bed to provide a region within which the magnetic particles are positioned to cover or fill the pipe opening. 
     
     
         3 . The structure of claim  11  wherein the walls are magnetic, defining a perimeter to bound the opening. 
     
     
         4 . The structure of claim  11  wherein the magnetic particles comprise both permanent magnets and ferromagnetic particles