Gas lift pump

[docellen]

This is an idea that was proposed in a petroleum engineering forum by
a mechanical engineer with screen name Windward.
http://eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=273737&page=1

The idea is to generate extra gas in the riser by heating the gas and
oil at the sea floor, thereby producing more gas in the riser, and
providing more lift to the fluids as they travel up the pipe. This
was proposed as a solution to the problem of the leaking "top hat",
which we now know can be more easily solved by removing the old torn
pipe and installing a new one. Still, I think this solution might be
worth exploring for use in a situation where a leak cannot be fully
contained at the wellhead. I'm thinking of some future blowout, where
there is oil bubbling up through the sediments near the wellhead.