BP Considers Static Kill to Seal Oil Well, as Stacking Cap Works for Fifth Day

July 20, 2010— -- BP's new cap kept oil from spewing into the Gulf of Mexico for a fifth consecutive day today, as the company began talking about a possible new solution that could finally put an end to leak for good.

The proposed "static kill" would be BP's 11th attempt to contain or kill the leak, but this time engineers would use gigantic pumps to jam mud into the well.

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BP says the procedure has real promise, and the Coast Guard may give its approval as early as Wednesday, for implementation as soon as next week.

Under the plan, 200,000 gallons of drilling mud, a cocktail of mud and cement, would be slowly and methodically pumped in, similar to the topkill method that failed in May. The advantage this time, though, is that the stacking cap has stopped the powerful flow of oil, making it easier to overwhelm.

"The reason that top kill didn't work was the oil was flowing so quickly, it carried the mud before it could pile up on the bottom of the well," said Darryl Bourgoyne, director of Lousiana State University's petroleum engineering research lab. The new plan "is a good way to hedge bets," he said.

At the same time, though, work continues on the relief wells that also offer a final fix. They could intersect with the well as early as next week.

It's all still contingent on the continued success of BP's stacking cap, which has shown some signs of leaks in the form of gas bubbles. Officials downplayed the risk posed by those leaks today.