junk shot

noun

1. a procedure used by oil companies to stem the flow of oil from a leaking well by pumping debris (such as shredded tyres, golf balls, etc.) into the well at high pressure

Example Sentences

It’s known as a junk shot, safety shot or clean-up shot.

Read more on Seattle Times

For months none of these efforts — with nicknames like “junk shot,” “top kill” and “top hat” — worked.

Read more on New York Times

The junk shot, which came amid the top kill attempt, injected solid materials such as rubber balls, shredded fibrous materials and metals into the well.

Read more on Reuters

Among the most high-profile failures were the so-called "top kill" and "junk shot" attempts in late May 2010, after the well had been spewing for more than a month.

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The disaster also created a new lexicon in American vocabulary — such as top kill and junk shot — as crews used innovative solutions to attempt to plug the spewing well with pieces of rubber.

Read more on The Guardian