Patent ID: 8523482

Claim:
An underwater oil and gas containment and retrieval system comprising: a collapsible, deployable oil and gas containment canopy forming a dome, said dome including a plurality of separately-stored dome panels ( 1 ), said dome having a top opening; a dome panel float for raising and deploying said dome panels from a stored position to a dome shaped position; a discharge vent tube ( 2 ) having inflatable air chambers ( 14 ) to provide rigidity and shape for deploying said discharge vent tube from a stored position to an extended vertical position with the top opening at the ocean surface; dome panel storage containers ( 3 ) for storing the dome panels ( 1 ) on the ocean floor having a top opening and a bottom opening; a discharge vent tube storage container ( 16 ) for storing the discharge vent tube ( 2 ) separately on the ocean floor; a discharge vent tube bottom ring ( 7 ) connected to the bottom opening of said vent tube; a dome ring ( 6 ) connected to the top opening of said dome panels; means for connecting the discharge vent tube ( 2 ) bottom opening to the top of the dome panels ( 1 ) utilizing the discharge vent tube bottom ring ( 7 ), the dome ring ( 6 ), said means including dome ring connecting cables ( 18 ) and discharge vent tube cable winches and reels ( 19 ), said means for connecting remotely activated from above the water surface; and one or more anchors for anchoring the dome panels to the bottom of the ocean surrounding the well to be protected.