Could "Oil Sleeve" Contain the Oil Spill?

The good news is that BP's latest attempt to stop the underwater ocean spill is "working." The bad news is that their definition of working includes the continued leak of oil from the ocean's floor, despite the fact that a fraction of the oil is being recovered. BP has publicly stated that they are accepting a variety of solutions for the oil spill.

So I decided to think of my own solution to the oil spill and submitted to BP or the coast guard and see what happens.

The biggest problem I see with the oil spill is that the pressure in the ruptured riser pipe is so great that efforts using a top kill, in addition to a cap, have only been partially successful. The oil is somewhat concentrated where it is released at the bottom of the ocean, but then disburses perhaps exponentially, into a larger volume of water.

My solution would involve using a mile long underwater "sleeve", made out of a flexible material such as plastic, but which is impermeable to the oil. The diameter of the sleeve would be approximately 10 to 20 feet, and would contain the oil somewhat, thus allowing it to be collected at the surface. This wouldn't involve pumps per se, but rather would use the natural buoyancy of oil to an advantage. Obviously, dispersants would have to be discontinued, as you would want the oil to rise to the surface where to be collected. This could be a good thing as many consider these dispersants to be toxic.

The exit point of the oil sleeve would perhaps be an area surrounded by tanker ships capable of pumping the oil and would also have multiple rows of booms. This solution is less invasive and would allow work on the cap to continue, and would not necessitate removal of the cap, but would add an extra layer of protection. In theory such a system could capture perhaps 95%, or greater, of the oil being released.

I discovered that there is actually a website for submitting material at:

http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/techsolution.html

There was a brief form to fill out to explain my idea, and here is the verbatim response the webpage spat out after submitting my idea:

Your submission has been entered into our database for technical review. Given the number of proposed solutions we are receiving, this may take some time. Please be patient, you will be informed of the disposition of your recommendation as soon as possible.

Thank you,
Horizon Support Team

Sources:

http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/techsolution.html