Mechanism for plugging subsea leaks

Abstract

A method and apparatus are described for exploiting the crushing power of the ocean, the principle of the lever, and the weight of a deep-sea oil drilling rig to provide a mechanism that is the simplest and most rapidly deployable way possible to plug a subsea leak. This mechanism for plugging subsea leaks has an inflatable plug and a folding reinforcement mechanism that are contained in a streamlining sheath so that they can be inserted into a leaking high-pressure subsea pipe, and a housing that, in a controlled manner, can be crushed by subsea water pressure to force fluid into the inflatable plug to cause it to inflate to plug the leak; and, depending on the pressure in the pipe, there is a weight basket available that can easily add weight to the mechanism, if necessary.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/465,382, filed Mar. 17, 2011, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

This application is related to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/396,092, filed May 22, 2010.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application generally relates to a method and apparatus for plugging a subsea leak.

BACKGROUND

The present invention seeks to provide a mechanism for plugging subsea leaks that utilizes a lever to convert the crushing power of the sea into power to operate a mechanism that forces water or cement into an inflatable plug to plug a leak in a subsea well.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,595,012 and 7,424,917 are examples of prior art that uses subsea water pressure in the operation a tool, and there are many inflatable plugs in the prior art, the most pertinent being U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,358, which, curiously, was invented to plug surface oil wells that were intentionally blown up during the war in Iraq in 1991, while the present invention was invented to plug the Macondo well, the subsea well owned by the BP oil company that accidentally exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

Because of the high pressure in the Macondo well, which is one mile deep in the Gulf of Mexico, it took BP several months to stop the leak, which made it very obvious that there is a need for tools—in fact, Tony Hayward, then the CEO of BP, was quoted in the financial press saying he lacked tools—that can be used to try to deal with the problems of subsea leaks, and the present invention is intended to provide such a tool. Because it harnesses the enormous water pressure at the site of the leak at the bottom of the ocean to counteract the high pressure of the leak, it actually works better the deeper it goes. For the most rapid deployment possible if there is a subsea leak, this simple and reliable self-contained tool could be installed on every ocean drilling rig: it would be similar to a fire extinguisher, something that is hopefully a waste of money, but something that is extremely valuable in the rare instances when it is needed.

SUMMARY

The present invention is a mechanism for plugging subsea leaks having an airtight, lever-equipped, fluid-containing housing that is connected by a pipe to a normally deflated inflatable plug that, together with a collapsible reinforcement mechanism behind the inflatable plug, is contained in a sheath that streamlines the deflated inflatable plug and collapsed reinforcement mechanism so they can be inserted into a subsea pipe from which oil is leaking high great pressure into the sea, whereupon a winch can be operated to allow the housing to be crushed by the enormous subsea water pressure, which forces fluid from a bladder in the housing into the inflatable plug, which tears away the sheath as it inflates and opens out the reinforcement mechanism that reinforces it against the high pressure of the leak. And, if the pressure coming from the leak is so powerful that it can push the inflatable plug out of the pipe, there is a weight basket that, when filled with heavy objects from the oil rig, can connect to the mechanism to add enough weight to the mechanism to hold the inflatable plug in the pipe against the high pressure of the leak.

Another object of the invention is to provide an inflatable plug that can convert into a solid plug by using cement in the inflatable plug. A high pressure subsea oil leak can throw sand and debris, and, although this mechanism can use an extremely strong inflatable plug made of kevlar-reinforced rubber, the inflatable plug could possibly be deflated by the sand and debris thrown against it; by therefore, since this mechanism is simply a fluid transfer system that forces fluid from a bladder into an inflatable plug, it would be possible to use cement in the fluid transfer system, which cement would harden inside the inflatable plug, creating a much more durable cement plug with a rubber seal between it and the pipe.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fluid transfer pipe that is equipped with a flexible joint mechanism that enables the fluid transfer pipe to flex when the inflatable plug at the end of the fluid transfer pipe is inflated, with the flexing of the fluid transfer pipe allowing the inflatable plug to center itself inside an oil well pipe when it is inflated, in the event that the deflated inflatable plug is off-center when it is inserted into the oil well pipe.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more detailed understanding may be had from the following description, given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings herein:

FIG. 1A is a partially cutaway perspective view of the mechanism;

FIG. 1B is a view similar to FIG. 1A with the lever operated;

FIG. 2A is cross-sectional side elevation view of the mechanism;

FIG. 2B is a view similar to FIG. 2A, with the lever operated;

FIG. 3A is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of FIG. 1A taken along line 3A-3A;

FIG. 3B is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of FIG. 1B taken along line 3B-3B;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the weight basket;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view showing the weight basket containing weighty objects and with the mechanism attached and the inflatable plug assembly in a vertical pipe;

FIG. 6A is a side elevation view showing the mechanism fitted onto a pair of skids and adjacent to a horizontal pipe;

FIG. 6B is a view similar to FIG. 6A showing the skid-equipped mechanism having been pulled so the skids straddle the end of the horizontal pipe;

FIG. 6C is a view similar to FIG. 6B showing the weight basket adjacent to the skid-equipped mechanism;

FIG. 7A is an enlarged fragmentary view of FIG. 5 with the pipe cutaway showing the inflatable plug assembly in the pipe;

FIG. 7B is a view similar to FIG. 7A with the inflatable plug assembly sheath cutaway;

FIG. 7C is a view similar to FIG. 7B with the inflatable plug, inflatable plug clamp, and reinforcement assembly cutaway;

FIG. 7D is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7D-7D of FIG. 7C showing the connection between the fluid transfer pipe and the inflatable plug support rod;

FIG. 7E is a view similar to FIG. 7A showing the inflatable plug inflated inside the pipe;

FIG. 8A is a view similar to FIG. 2A with the bladder cutaway to show cement in the bladder;

FIG. 8B is a view similar to FIG. 2B with the inflatable plug cutaway to show cement in the inflatable plug;

FIG. 8C is a view similar to FIG. 7E with the inflatable plug cutaway to show cement in the inflated inflatable plug;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 2A showing a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10A is fragmentary plan view of a third embodiment of the invention showing the inflatable plug assembly and flexible joint assembly;

FIG. 10B is an elevated side view of FIG. 10A;

FIG. 10C is a view similar to FIG. 10B with the collar cut away and the inflatable plug assembly and flexible joint assembly inserted into and positioned off-center in a pipe; and,

FIG. 10D is a view similar to FIG. 10C with the inflatable plug inflated and the flexible joint having flexed to reposition the inflatable plug assembly centrally in the pipe.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawings in detail wherein like numerals designate like parts, and referring intially to FIGS. 1A through 8C, a mechanism for plugging subsea leaks according to the present invention is described herein.

A mechanism for plugging subsea leaks 10 is shown in perspective in FIGS. 1A and 1B, cutaway in FIGS. 2A and 2B, and enlarged in fragmentary views in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 7A through 7E, the mechanism 10 having a fluid transfer system operating through a fluid transfer pipe 11 having a fluid intake pipe 12 and fluid intake pipe cap 13 that allow fluid to be introduced into and held in the fluid transfer system, at one end of the fluid transfer pipe 11 there being a fluid-containing bladder 14 (see FIGS. 2A,2B) connected to the fluid transfer pipe 11 by a bladder clamp 15 (see FIGS. 2A,2B) and at the opposite end of the fluid transfer pipe 11 there being an inflatable plug assembly 18, the inflatable plug assembly 16 comprising an inflatable plug 17 connected to the fluid transfer pipe 11 by an inflatable plug clamp 18, there being connected to the inside of and extending from the end of the fluid transfer pipe 11 an inflatable plug support rod 19 (see FIGS. 7C,7D) that is inside the inflatable plug 17, the inflatable plug support rod 19 connected to the inside of the fluid transfer pipe 11 by inflatable plug support rod connectors 20 (see FIGS. 7C,7D) the inflatable plug 17 normally deflated and held against the inflatable plug support rod 19 by breakable inflatable plug bands 21 (see FIGS. 7B,7C) and arrayed around and longitudinal with and normally collapsed against the normally deflated inflatable plug 17 there being inflatable plug reinforcement arms 22 that are in hinged connection to the inflatable plug clamp 18 and that are connected together by inflatable plug reinforcement cables 23, and there being a tearable inflatable plug assembly sheath 24 (see FIG. 7B) that covers the normally deflated inflatable plug 17 and the normally collapsed inflatable plug reinforcement arms 22 and the normally collapsed inflatable plug reinforcement cables 23. To prepare the mechanism 10 for plugging a subsea leak, fluid is introduced into the fluid intake pipe 12 until the entire fluid transfer system is full of fluid: fluid is allowed to trickle into and fill the deflated inflatable plug 17 that is held against the inflatable plug rod 19 by the breakable inflatable plug bands 21, the breakable inflatable plug bands 21 being sufficiently strong to prevent the fluid from inflating the deflated inflatable plug 17, and the fluid fills the bladder 14, fluid transfer pipe 11, and fluid intake pipe 12, after which the fluid intake pipe cap 13 is tightly closed onto the fluid intake pipe 12.

If cement C (see FIGS. 8A-8C) is used in the fluid transfer system, it will be necessary to select a cement C that will maintain its fluidity until the cement C is forced from the bladder 14 into the inflatable plug 17, and to make that selection it will be required to estimate the time it will take for the mechanism 10 to descend from the surface of the ocean to the leaking pipe P, as well as the time that will be required to maneuver the inflatable plug 17 into the pipe P.

The fluid transfer pipe 11 is connected to and passes through a lever housing 25 such that the bladder 14 and the bladder clamp 15 are inside the lever housing 25, the bladder 14 being positioned adjacent to the lever housing 25 and accessible through a bladder access cover 26 on the lever housing 25. There is an opening 29 in the top of the lever housing 25, and inside the lever housing 25 is a lever 27 that pivots on a fulcrum 28—see FIGS. 2A,2B—the lever 27 normally positioned in a readiness position in which the lever 27 is positioned adjacent to the bladder 14, such that the bladder 14 is between the lever housing 25 and the lever 27, and is positioned in the opening 29 in the top of the lever housing 25 such that the lever 27 is exposed to subsea water pressure when the mechanism 10 is submerged into the sea. Around the lever 27 when the lever 27 is in the readiness position in the opening 29 is a narrow gap 30 (see FIGS. 3A,3B) between the lever 27 and the lever housing 25, and straddling the narrow gap 30 is a flexible U-shaped sealing collar 31 (see FIGS. 3A,3B) that is connected onto both the lever 27 and the lever housing 25, the U-shaped sealing collar 31 fitting onto threaded clamping posts 32 (see FIGS. 3A,3B) on both the lever 27 and the lever housing 25 and able to be clamped onto both the lever 27 and the lever housing 25 such that the U-shaped sealing collar 31 can make the lever housing 25 airtight, the clamping able to be effected by ribbed clamping strips 33 (see FIGS. 3A,3B) that fit onto the threaded clamping posts 32 and over the U-shaped sealing collar 31 on both the lever 27 and the lever housing 25 and by tightening nuts 34 (see FIGS. 3A,3B) that fit onto the threaded clamping posts 32 and are tightened down onto the ribbed clamping strips 33. The lever 27 is normally held in the readiness position by a bar 35 (see FIGS. 2A,2B) that is positioned between upper housing-mounted rollers 36 (see FIGS. 2A,2B) and lower housing-mounted rollers 37 (see FIGS. 2A,2B) in the lever housing 25, the bar 35 normally extending from between the housing-mounted rollers 36 and 37 such that it is positioned under the lever 27 to prevent the lever 27 from falling within the lever housing 25, there being lever-mounted rollers 38 (see FIGS. 2A,2B) on the underside of the lever 27 that rest on the bar 35, the housing-mounted rollers 36 and 37 and the lever-mounted rollers 38 able to facilitate the bar 35 being pulled out from under the lever 27 to allow the lever 27 to fall within the lever housing 25, the bar 35 able to be pulled by a cable 39 that is connected to a winch 40 (see FIGS. 2A,2B) inside the lever housing 25, there being a winch access cover 41 on the lever housing 25 that permits access to the winch 40, cable 39, and bar 35. On the top of the lever housing 25 at each corner are housing lifting rings 42 and on the top of the lever 27 is a lever lifting ring 43.

The mechanism 10 can be lowered into the sea to plug a leak in a well when the fluid transfer system is full of fluid and the lever 27 is in the readiness position and the U-shaped sealing collar 31 has created an airtight seal between the lever 27 and the lever housing 25; and, if weight needs to be added to the mechanism 10, there is a weight basket 44 available for use, at each corner of the weight basket 44 there being weight basket lifting rings 45 that enable the weight basket 44 to be lowered into the sea, the weight basket 44 able to contain sufficient loose weighty objects W of different sizes and shapes to hold the mechanism 10 in place against pressure coming from the leak. If the well has a vertical pipe P (see FIG. 5) the mechanism 10 can be attached onto the weight basket 44 such that the fluid transfer pipe 11 on the mechanism 10 extends down through a center opening 46 in the weight basket 44 such that the inflatable plug assembly 16 on the fluid transfer pipe 11 is centrally positioned below the weight basket 44, the mechanism 10 and weight basket 44 when connected together having sufficient weight to enable the inflatable plug assembly 16 to be lowered into and held in the vertical pipe P against pressure coming from the leak. If the well has a horizontal pipe P (see FIGS. 6A-6C) skids 47 can be fitted under opposite elongate sides of the lever housing 25 and the fluid transfer pipe 11 can be bent such that the inflatable plug assembly 16 is beneath the lever housing 25 and between the skids 47, the skid 47-equipped mechanism 10 then able to be lowered into the sea and positioned such that the skids 47 and the lever housing 25 straddle the horizontal pipe P and the inflatable plug assembly 16 is positioned in the horizontal pipe P, whereupon the weight basket 44 containing loose weighty objects W can be lowered into the sea and positioned to abut against the skid 47-equipped mechanism 10 to hold the inflatable plug assembly 16 in the horizontal pipe P against oil pressure coming from the leak.

With the inflatable plug assembly 16 in the pipe P, plugging the leak can be accomplished by operating the winch 40 to pull the cable 39 which pulls the bar 35 out from under the lever 27 to allow the lever 27, under both its own weight and the enormous weight of subsea water pressure pressing down on it, to crash down in the lever housing 25 and pivot on the fulcrum 28 to squeeze the bladder 14 between the lever 27 and the lever housing 25, thus forcing the fluid in the bladder 14 to flow under extreme pressure through the fluid transfer pipe 11 and into the inflatable plug 17 and cause the inflatable plug 17 to break the inflatable plug bands 21 and tear the inflatable plug assembly sheath 24 as it inflates and forces the inflatable plug reinforcement arms 22 and the inflatable plug reinforcement cables 23 to open out. It is very important to note that the volumes of the bladder 14 and the inflatable plug 17 must be very carefully calculated so that the amount of fluid transferred from the bladder 14 into the inflatable plug 17 is precisely the amount of fluid required to fully inflate the inflatable plug 17.

FIG. 9 shows a second embodiment of the invention in which the winch 40 is eliminated, and is replaced by a connecting ring 48 outside the lever housing 25 that is connected to the cable 39, the cable 39 extending outside the lever housing 25, with there being a cable roller 49 inside the lever housing 25 that facilities the pulling of the cable 39 by the connecting ring 48. To operate the mechanism 10, the connecting ring 48 is pulled by an external pulling device, such as an underwater vehicle or a cable lowered into the sea from a winch on a ship on the ocean surface.

FIGS. 10A through 10D show a third embodiment of the invention in which, adjacent to the inflatable plug clamp 18, the fluid transfer pipe 12 is cut and connected together by a flexible joint 50, the flexible joint 50 being secured to both pieces of the cut fluid transfer pipe 12 by a pair of joint clamps 51. The purpose of the flexible joint 50 is to enable the inflatable plug assembly 16 to reposition itself inside a pipe P if the inflatable plug assembly 16 is not positioned centrally in the pipe P when it is inserted into the pipe P. Insertion of the inflatable plug assembly 16 into the pipe P requires that the cut fluid transfer pipe 12 and the flexible joint 50 are held stationary during the insertion, and for that purpose there is a collar 52 on the fluid transfer pipe 12 and over the flexible joint 50 and joint clamps 51, the collar 52 abutting against both the joint clamps 51 to minimize movement of the flexible joint 50. The collar 52 has a collar hinge 53 that connects together two collar half-sections 54, and opposite the hinge 53 on each collar half-section 54 there is a locking tab 55, and when the collar 52 is fitted over the flexible joint 50 and the joint clamps 51 the pair of locking tabs 55 are parallel and symmetrically aligned and spaced apart such that each locking tab 55 can be engaged by one of a pair of locking hooks 56 that are on opposite sides of one end of a locking rod 57, the engagement of the locking tabs 55 by the locking hooks 56 effectively locking the collar 52 onto the fluid transfer pipe 12, flexible joint 50, and joint clamps 51. The locking rod 57 has at one end the locking hooks 56, and at its opposite end the locking rod 57 is connected by a pivot 58 to one of the inflatable plug reinforcement arms 22 of the inflatable plug assembly 16.

When the inflatable plug assembly 16 is inserted into a pipe P and the inflatable plug 17 is inflated inside the pipe P the inflation of the inflatable plug 17 causes the outward and backward movement of the pivot 58 on the inflatable plug reinforcement arm 22, with the backward movement of the pivot 58 causing the backward movement of the locking rod 57 that is connected to the pivot 58, and the backward movement of the locking rod 57 disengages the locking hooks 56 from the locking tabs 55 on the collar 52, thus unlocking the collar 52, and thus allowing the hinged-together collar half-sections 54 to open out and fall away from the fluid transfer pipe 12, flexible joint 50, and joint clamps 51, and thus freeing the flexible joint 50 to flex so as to allow the inflatable plug assembly 16 to reposition itself centrally inside the pipe P.

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.

Claims

1. A mechanism for plugging subsea leaks comprising:

a) fluid transfer means, the fluid transfer means connected between containment means and inflatable plugging means;

b) containment means, the containment means connected to the fluid transfer means and able to contain fluid means, and, when compressed, able to force the fluid means into the fluid transfer means;

c) inflatable plugging means, the inflatable plugging means connected to the fluid transfer means and when deflated able to be inserted into a subsea orifice from which pollutants are flowing, and when fluid means forced from the fluid transfer means into the inflatable plugging means the inflatable plugging means able to inflate; and,

d) compression means, the compression means connected to the fluid transfer means and providing airtight housing means around the containment means, the housing means shielding the containment means from subsea water pressure, the housing means incorporating leverage means, the leverage means exposed to subsea water pressure, the compression means operable to allow the leverage means to compress the containment means.

2. A mechanism for plugging subsea wells as defined in claim 1, the fluid means being cement, the hardening time for the cement and the estimated time required for the mechanism to plug a subsea leak being calculable such that, if the calculation is correct, the fluid cement that is put into the containment means maintains its fluidity as the mechanism descends to a subsea leak and as the inflatable plugging means is inserted into a subsea orifice and as the cement is forced into and causes said inflation of the inflatable plugging means, the fluid cement able to harden when inside the inflated inflatable plugging means.

3. A mechanism for plugging subsea wells as defined in claim 1, there being barring means that can engage the leverage means to bar the leverage means from compressing the containment means.

4. A mechanism for plugging subsea wells as defined in claim 3, the barring means able to be pulled to disengage the barring means from the leverage means so as to allow the leverage means to compress the containment means.

5. A mechanism for plugging subsea wells as defined in claim 4, there being rolling means that facilitate the pulling of the barring means from out of engagement with the leverage means.

6. A mechanism for plugging subsea wells as defined in claim 1, the mechanism able to be fitted with elevation means, the elevation means able to sit on the sea floor and elevate the mechanism above the sea floor such that the mechanism can be manipulated on the sea floor so as to effect the horizontal insertion of the inflatable plugging means into a subsea orifice.

7. A mechanism for plugging subsea wells as defined in claim 1, there being basket-like weight aggregation means, when the inflatable plugging means inflated to plug the leak, the basket-like weight aggregation means able to prevent the pressure of the leak against the inflated inflatable plugging means from pushing the mechanism away from the leak, the basket-like weight aggregation means able to contain loose weighty objects of different sizes and shapes such that the loose weighty objects of different sizes and shapes can be moved in unison and in a controlled manner, and functioning to connect to the mechanism the aggregate weight of the loose weighty objects of different sizes and shapes to effectively increase the weight of the mechanism such that the mechanism cannot be pushed away from the leak by pressure coming from the leak when the mechanism is positioned at the leak and operated to inflate the inflatable plugging means to plug the leak, the basket-like weight aggregation means able to be connected together with the mechanism such that the inflatable plugging means on the mechanism can be positioned centrally below the basket-like weight aggregation means, and the basket-like weight aggregation means able to abut upon the mechanism if the mechanism is positioned on the sea floor.

8. A mechanism for plugging subsea leaks comprising:

a) fluid transfer means, the fluid transfer means connected between inflatable plugging means and inflation means;

b) inflatable plugging means, the inflatable plugging means connected to the fluid transfer means and when deflated able to be inserted into a subsea orifice from which pollutants are flowing, and when fluid means forced from the fluid transfer means into the inflatable plugging means the inflatable plugging means able to inflate;

c) reinforcement means, the reinforcement means adjacent to the inflatable plugging means, the reinforcement means collapsible and including movable members that can move inward against the inflatable plugging means when the inflatable plugging means deflated, the reinforcement means able to be opened out by the inflation of the inflatable plugging means so as to reinforce the inflated inflatable plugging means; and,

d) inflation means, the inflation means connected to the fluid transfer means and able to force fluid means through the fluid transfer means so as to force fluid means into and cause the inflation of the inflatable plugging means.

9. A mechanism for plugging subsea leaks as defined in claim 8, there being constraining means, when the reinforcement means collapsed the constraining means able to prevent the unintended opening out of the reinforcement means when the deflated inflatable plugging means and the collapsed reinforcement means are inserted into a subsea orifice from which pollutants are flowing.

10. A mechanism for plugging subsea leaks as defined in claim 9, the constraining means able to break when the reinforcement means are opened out by the inflation of the inflatable plugging means.

11. A mechanism for plugging subsea leaks as defined in claim 9, the constraining means being sheath-like means.

12. A mechanism for plugging subsea leaks comprising:

a) fluid transfer means, the fluid transfer means connected between inflatable plugging means and inflation means;

b) inflatable plugging means, the inflatable plugging means connected to the fluid transfer means and when deflated able to be inserted into a subsea orifice from which pollutants are flowing, and when fluid means forced from the fluid transfer means into the inflatable plugging means the inflatable plugging means able to inflate;

c) inflation means, the inflation means connected to the fluid transfer means and able to force fluid means through the fluid transfer means so as to force fluid means into and cause the inflation of the inflatable plugging means;

d) flexible hollow connecting means, the fluid transfer means being cut, with the cut ends of the fluid transfer means being joined together by flexible hollow connecting means, there being clamping means that connect the flexible hollow connecting means to the cut ends of fluid transfer means so that the fluid transfer means can flex at the flexible hollow connecting means;

e) flex prevention means, the flex prevention means fitting over the flexible hollow connecting means and clamping means so as to prevent the flexing of the flexible hollow connecting means; and,

f) release means, the release means operatively connected between the flex prevention means and the inflatable plugging means and able to release the flexible hollow connecting means from the flex prevention means so that the flexible hollow connecting means can flex when the inflatable plugging means is inflated.

13. A mechanism for plugging subsea leaks as defined in claim 12, the flex prevention means having multiple connectable together sections on which are engagable members that can be engaged by hooking means to secure the flex prevention means on the flexible hollow connecting means and clamping means, the release means being an elongate rod that can disengage the hooking means from the engagable members.

14. A mechanism for plugging subsea leaks as defined in claim 13, the hooking means being on one end of the elongate rod, with the opposite end of the elongate rod operatively connected to the inflatable plugging means such that the inflation of the deflated inflatable plugging means pushes the elongate rod such that the hooking means on the opposite end of the elongate rod disengages from the engagable members.

15. A mechanism for plugging subsea leaks as defined in claim 14, the end of the elongate rod opposite the hooking means being connected to a movable member that can be pushed when the inflatable plugging means inflates.