Magnum Hunter's Farley Well Blowout

Are there any experts out there who can talk about this event? 

Wickipedia describes a blowout as;

  A blowout is the uncontrolled release of crude oil and/or natural gas from an oil well or gas well after pressure control systems have failed

Gary Evans in public statements said it took four days to bring the well under control, and said:

"We’re seeing a geo-pressured regime here like we’ve never seen before. So our first well, the Farley well actually blew out on us in a natural fracture, we didn’t frac the well. So we’re pretty excited about what we’re seeing. We had totally changed our drilling techniques in this region using South Louisiana Gulf Coast technology with high pressure, well heads, 10,000 pounds well heads, double BOPs."

It sounds like a serious, rare event. 

#1 question:  What does this indicate about the prospects for the well? 

(Does this event indicate a terrific amount of pressure and a massive amount of gas to be uncorked?  Or, does it indicate a screwup on MH's part?   Or, did the "challenging geology" contribute to the blowout as he alluded to in an earlier statement)?

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Permalink Reply by Al Cramblett on November 7, 2013 at 5:39am

JO, no one is or has criticized you for asking questions, at least I didn't see any. In my post above, I attempted to communicate that engineers sometimes forget their verbiage is not fully understood, especially by a layman and the company decision maker.  However, You have identified a very valuable aspect of GMS. All aspects of oil and gas production is very complicated. I don't especially like government involvement in my business affairs but do believe that government regulators should be held accountable for doing their jobs to protect the public according to existing regulations and statutes.  Generally speaking, this is not being done or, at lease, the perception is that is not being done as evidenced by the many comments being made on GMS. 

Permalink Reply by Joseph-Ohio on November 7, 2013 at 5:47am

Al,

I took no offense; neither did I assume that I was being criticized.

Just seemed to me like I owed everyone a little more insight as to my background and hence my contributions / inquiries.

I also think that our regulators ought to do a better job.

I would even like to see more legislation to support / promote landowner and environmentally cognizant domestic exploration and development of our on-shore hydrocarbon wealth (in the name of domestic prosperity, domestic job creation, global carbon emissions reduction and our national defense).  I think we can do it all and do it right myself.

T. Boone has it right.

Regards,

J-O

Permalink Reply by Al Cramblett on November 7, 2013 at 6:07am

JO, it appears we think much alike.  BTW, I think I have identified the communication/jargon problem.  Engineers have a secret handshake. When one shakes the hand of a fellow engineer, both know it's OK to use the industry jargon.  In the absence of that handshake, I think Brian over looked the need to translate industry jargon to an easier read.

Permalink Reply by Brian Powers on November 7, 2013 at 8:16am

Al-

I'll post this link to help you and others get a better handle on the jargon:

http://www.glossary.oilfield.slb.com/

The O&G industry is jargon rich, much the same as the coal, auto and other industries. There are probably over 50 terms that refer to animal parts (Possum Belly comes to mind), I'll keep the more vulgar terms to myself in consideration of the ladies who use this site.

I thank you and the other posters for recognizing the civility of this particular thread; some threads sadly degenerate into slurs and name calling too quickly.

I was invited to join this site by a friend who owns minerals in Bradford Co, PA. I'll tell you like I told him, my goal is to share my technical knowledge in a way that keeps you informed so that hopefully you all get wealthy beyond your wildest dreams.

 

Brian

Permalink Reply by Al Cramblett on November 7, 2013 at 9:29am

Brian,  I recognized your goal from the quality of your posts.  My orientation has been to help landowners understand all the issues-leases, contracts, taxes, legacy planning, etc.  However, due to my background as a chemical engineer, I have provided some input to the environmental impact statements for the facilities constructed in Harrison County.

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