Gas Well Workshop
2012 Third Session Conference Call Topics
1980s
EPA Study of WV Case of Fracking Causing Pollution
Ian Urbina writing for the New York Times in "A
Tainted Water Well, and Concern There May Be More" discusses
a study done for the EPA which showed that fracturing a well
did cause contamination of a domestic drinking water source.
The article is at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/04/us/04natgas.html?pagewanted=all.
There is a large group of documents cited by Ian Urbina, including
the study, hosted at the NY Times website (179MB) at http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/us/drilling-down-documents-7.html.
The link for downloading the complete set of documents is
shown at the bottom of the right contents sidebar. The contents
sidebar does not download and we copy and paste the text of
the sidebar into Word to make finding individual items in
the massive download possible.
Leaking
Wells - Alberta Study
The most recent study we are aware of concerning leaking wells
was conducted in Alberta, Canada. The paper, which we haven't
seen yet, was published by the Society of Petroleum Engineers
(SPE). The authors have a PowerPoint presentation that is
available on the web that discusses causes of leaking wells.
This is at: http://www.ieaghg.org/docs/WBI3Presentations/SBachuTWatson.pdf.
Studies have been conducted concerning leaking offshore wells. This paper in Oilfield Review discusses the issue for these and other wells, causes and types of leaks, and possible solutions (Oilfield Review is published by Schlumberger). The paper is available at: http://www.slb.com/~/media/Files/resources/oilfield_review/ors03/aut03/p62_76.ashx.
While remediation is a possible solution, it is both costly and not always effective.
Blowout
Videos
Blowouts can occur during drilling, after drilling and fracturing,
and during production. Those that occur during drilling, before
the well is cased and cemented seem to be fairly common according
to anecdotal evidence. Blowouts can be observed on the surface
when drilling mud appears in a stream or river and proximity
to surface water seems to make these blowouts possible. A
well documented blowout occurred at the Crosby 25-3 well in
Wyoming during drilling when about an acre of surface was
covered by condensate erupting along a fault. This document
has photos - http://www.sootypaws.net/gws/class/study_docs/crosby/photos%20of%20spill.pdf.
A blowout occurring after fracturing when fracture plugs for a horizontal well were being drilled out has been well documented in Pennsylvania. The documents include interviews with drill rig crew members and others. These interviews show that crews are sometimes expected to work extraordinarily long shifts (this crew had been on the rig for 24+ hours before the blowout occurred) and that all training is on-the-job training. The documents are available at http://www.sootypaws.net/gws/class/index_2012.html#36h.
We consider events where drinking water sources are contaminated as subsurface blowouts and are the results of a number of factors, including damaged casing or poor cementing (see the articles for leaking wells, above). The English No. 1 Well in Ohio is a well documented case where an operator, even though it was known that the well was inadequately cemented, went ahead and fractured the well. The Ohio DNR report is available at http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Portals/11/bainbridge/report.pdf.
A neighbor told us about a subsurface to surface blowout at a well in our area. He was hunting after the well was completed on a flat below the well. He smelled a bad odor and found oily ribbons of material coming up out of the ground. This was some distance from the well.
YouTube has a number of videos showing blowouts, some of which are quite dramatic. A fluid blowout is shown at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EHqb9wU_NY. A blowout resulting in a fire is shown at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-z1p8cru20. A blowout resulting in a rig fire is shown at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smpw0Ee-OuQ. A part of the piping to the fracture T blowing out is shown at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV02b_Vt_hI. Search terms to see more videos include "blowout" and "rig fire."
This
set of YouTube videos is a documentary about the 1980s Lodgepole
gas well blowout in Canada and gives a good overview of drilling
procedures and what happened. It is in 5 parts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp9jMIXz1dg,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQl3FzuONWQ, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5RkUbGC9Gs, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tQLa_LQ-Pk,
and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNxjwWH-Jok.
Some of the comments indicate the production has a pro-industry
slant.
Updated
Version of the Office of Oil and Gas' Erosion and Sediment
Control Field Manual
The Office of Oil and Gas released an updated version of the
20-year-old Erosion and Sediment Control Field Manual in late May. This version is not without flaws, but is superior
to what existed before. A copy can be downloaded from the
Office's website - http://www.dep.wv.gov/oil-and-gas/Documents/Erosion%20Manual%2004.pdf.
2013 Gas Well Workshop
About the Workshop
Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Materials Used for the Workshop
Reporting Wells
Gas Well Study is the examination of natural gas wells in West Virginia.
Underground Injection Control Class 2 Wells
These wells are used either for the disposal of oil and gas liquid waste or for the enhanced recovery of oil or natural gas.
Gas Well Study Site Visits
Annual reports, environmental assessments, and individual well information.
YouTube Videos
Select videos from the Gas Well Study YouTube channel.
What Happened at Fernow
An investigation into what caused the vegetation death in the land application area after landspraying hydraulic fracture flowback waste.
The Spill at Buckeye Creek
An investigation into a spill from a Marcellus well site into Buckeye Creek in Doddridge county.