| Show method used to control A foot gas well we BY F D TOUGH v an unusual job in controlling a gas well was executed on no 1 well inland oil and refining company situated on the alkali butte structure freemont county wyoming the work was done by the company in operation cooperation co with the U S bureau of mines and resulted in a fuel saving of in one season and of a repair job estimated at or a total of the well had an open flow of cubic feet of gas per day with a rock pressure of pounds per square inch A string of inch casing with a toothed shoe was set on the cap rock above the gas sand at 2481 feet when the well was shut in the gas worked out around both the inch and 8 inch strings breaking through the ground surface at several points under the derrick casing troubles encountered while drilling made it unsafe to attempt moving the inch string alor moreover bover it was important from the standpoint of good management to make the gas from this well immediately available for fuel in other operations and ad in addition to save the gas from wasting an ordinary mudding and cementing job would have necessitated shutting down this well for probably two months out of a very short operating season for these reasons it was determined to mud the well if possible between the 6 and 8 inch strings by pumping mud fluid through the connection from the gas clamps the gas clamps used were of ordinary construction with a side outlet making them equivalent to a braden head when the mud fluid was pumped through the gas clamp into the space between the two strings it began to appear inside the inch string it apparently entered the well either around the toothed shoe or through a line sawed leak in the string and was blown out of the well as fast as it was pumped in in order to stop the leaks about a half a gunny sack of finely chopped bull rope was fed with the mud between the casings as before the hemp gathered around the valves of the mud pump to some extent and it also stuck in the casing head fittings a few times an obstruction in the casing head would be removed by permitting the w well ell to blow back for a few seconds and one in the pump valves by removing the valves when necessary in two days time sufficient hemp and mud had been pumped into these strings to kill external and internal pressure pres sure the well vell wasi shut in and allowed to stand over night the next day by 0 pening opening and clos clod supervisor oil bil and gas ap operation ration ing the master gate at intervals and allow ing the well to build up what pressure it would it was found possible to blow the mud from the inside of the ginch G 6 inch casing the chopped rope had presumably gathered around the shoe and also filled an any y line sawed places in the S inch casing and was holding in place the mud fluid between the casings the gas was thus made available for fuel and the waste of gas by dissipation into the overlying formations and into the atmosphere was also prevented it is interesting to note that after several weeks during which period the mud had been afforded time to settle a small amount of gas was observed leaking at the surface about the same time it became possible to relieve the pressure by turning the well into the pipe line which had been laid to supply the camp and three drilling wells A pop valve placed in this line was regulated by experiment to pop off at a pressure slightly less than the pressure at which gas would begin to leak at the surface around the well because of the demand for gas the pop valve was seldom called upon to relieve the pressure pres siire the wastage of gas became so small that considering the need for fuel it was deemed an act of true conservation to leave the well in that condition conservative estimates indicate that an equivalent amount of coal for the three drilling wells and lease houses mentioned would have cost about for that sea son not to mention the uncertainty of the coal supply due to labor and hauling conditions dit ions it is further estimated that this job saved a repair job on the well besides making available a full crew for drilling another test well while this method is not recommended for use in a proven field it was very satisfactory in the case described where the economic conditions seemed to justify W ia use 0 |
