Good evening Rick,
I'm glad you're having some fun here, too. I'm sure as Hell learning a lot so I appreciate your tolerance of an old(??) feller!!
With respect to the gravity/sphere issue, gravity and capillary forces do control the distribution of fluids within the reservoir. It is certainly because of gravity that the water is in the bottom of the reservoir. Gravity put it in a position from which it can be "coned" to the wellbore by large pressure gradients !!! Beyond that, the influence of gravity on cone geometry is negligible.
I also hate to belabor this point Rick and I too lack references to any Oman wellsite. (I have however conducted\supervised "tens" of two and even three phase wellbore coning studies using layered r-z numerical simulation models. If you are interested in studying the phenomenon, I can certainly provide you a good technical reference on the subject. Just let me know.)
With all due respect to whoever it was that commented that it would take 15,000 psi to cause the "geyser", a reservoir pressure of about 8,000 psi could easily spout water 200 feet in the air, if the water is being coned from the Temblor. Even less pressure would be required if the water entry occurs uphole.
Not having been there (Thank God!!) to observe what it was that failed creating this blowout, I will simply state that a reservoir pressure of less than 8,000 psi could have easily caused the blowout. We have read that since the BOP's were rated for xxx psi and the well blew out of control, the reservoir pressure must be greater than xxx psi. But that logic is flawed!! For example, if it was the weld of the casing flange that failed and let go, it really doesn't matter a damn what the BOP pressure rating was !! If the casing burst at ground level, it doesn't matter what the BOP rating was !!
One thing is for sure - we are dealing with a highly overpressured reservoir.
Such a conclusion, if derived from only the BOP rating and the height of the "geyser", would be quite suspect. However, if the mud weight information you have offered is correct, then IT'S OVERPRESSURED !!
If the reservoir is highly overpressured, is that not cause for some concern, Rick ??
Again, you misunderstood my meaning - probably my bad grammer <ggg> - regarding choking the well back. ..............I have no idea if this would work in reality. Any thoughts?
Au contraire, Rick!! Your grammer(sp!!) was fine. <ggg> I understood your meaning to be exactly what you have re-iterated in your latest post.
So, my answer is the same. Such a test would not be definitive. If you choke back the well to some degree, the water rate will drop. It will decrease if the well is coning water from the Temblor. It will decrease if the water is entering the well uphole. Therefore, the test would not provide a definitive conclusion as to the source of the water. There are too many unknowns. The test would\will be inconclusive.
I do have some idea of how the blow-out occurred.
EXTREMELY helpful information. Thank you very much.
We could conceivably be 2-300 feet off the top of the anticline - alternatively, we could be right in the top - your guess is as good as mine.
Because it is a gas reservoir, we don't need to be at the top. Let's hope we aren't. That just means that the maximum pay thickness can be even bigger !!
Thanks a bunch for "...this chapter of waffle." You are a most helpful young(??) man.
Later,
grayhairs
P.S. -- Do you have any idea of the current rates of water and gas production ?? Also, any idea when (or even if) they are going to attempt to shut the well in at surface ?? I'm thinking I might want to fly down to see that !! I'll tell you, if they do attempt that, the guy that does it has got some REAL cajones !! |
