Unique underwater oil spill containment design

 

Frank has utilized the unique geometry of the chestahedron (a volume made of 7 faces of equal area, the red shape above) to design a cap for underwater oil leaks, such as the recent spill off the coast of Louisiana.  The design incorporates safeguards against the formation of ice crystals by including heating elements, having multiple sites for gas to collect, pressure-release valves for accumulated gas, and most importantly, the geometric design itself, which passively facilitates the separation of the gas from the oil.   The main flaw of the failed pyramidal design used by BP in the Gulf oil spill had to do with the fact that the oil was collected only at the top of the structure, and in one spot only, where the gases also built up.  By separating the gases from the oil and providing multiple sites for the collection and release of gases, while simultaneously collecting oil from the bottom, this cap design could provide a useful template for future underwater oil leaks.

Watch Frank explain his design in the two videos below: