Interview: Jerome Milgram on oil spills
Emeritus Professor Jerome (Jerry) Milgram has researched the science of oil spills on the ocean surface and in deep water wells since 1970. He has overseen the containment of ruptured wells in the Gulf of Mexico and holds many patents for ameliorating, containing and collecting ocean spills. In a recent phone interview with Jordan Lewis of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Milgram discussed current efforts to contain the widening oil spill off the Louisiana coast. Q. What are the possible measures for stopping the flow of oil from a ruptured underwater well? A. To stop the flow, the engineers would like to quickly drill a relief well. This would involve a separate well drilled in a strategic location into the reservoir formation. Once the well is functioning, a series of quick, high-pressure steps are followed to “kill” the well. First, salt water is pumped into the reservoir, followed by mud...