eCAP Invention Hopes to Control Oil Leak

PHOENIX - For two months, oil from BP's blown-out well has been spewing into the Gulf of Mexico. The oil giant estimates that 2.5 million gallons of crude oil is polluting the water everyday.

Efforts to stop the spill haven't worked as planned, but this Arizona company is working on a solution that could stop oil from gushing into the Gulf.

"We think this will work, its proven technology that's been in the oil patch for 50 years," says Michael Owens from Western Energy Resources.

Western Energy Resources is teaming up with another company called End Point. Together they've come up with a solution they think will finally plug this massive leak.

It's called an eCAP. The unit is basically a sleeve that will fit over the broken and jagged pipeline, allowing crews to shut off the flow.

"From there you can connect it to another piece of pipe to pump it to the surface, or a hose or whatever. You want to take it and put it up to a tanker and then you can start pumping the oil directly into the tanker." [Press play to watch clips of the computer simulation]

Owens says the concept has worked as planned in computer simulations. They're just waiting for officials to give it the green light.

"We designed this unit to go that depth so it will not develop ice crystals or particles in there which would clog it up," says Owens.

"Anywhere from 10 days to two weeks we would have this in place, on site, assembled, and starting to shut down the flow of oil." But there's a lot of red tape to cut through before it can be implemented.

Coast Guard officials are looking over the device to make sure robots will be able to attach it underwater.