'Plug the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico with magnets'

Washington, July 1 (ANI): A Palm Bay company has suggested 'plugging' the oil leakage pipe with magnets in Gulf of Mexico to stop the spill.

Chief Scientist Rainer Meinke of Advanced Magnet Lab demonstrated his idea through a miniature model of the Gulf oil spill, by using a koi pond, a pump, some two-by-fours, clamps, tubing, and a three-inch iron pipe.

A mixture of permanent magnets and steel balls is plugged tight into the leaking pipe, and measurements showed that the tight plug reduced the flow by 75 per cent.

"We set it up so we can pump at a rate which would be equivalent if you scaled it down to 44,000 barrels a day," Fox News quoted Mark Senti as saying.

However, the idea would cost a million dollars and is one of the hundreds being considered by the coastguard. (ANI)