Firefighters have extinguished the first two oil well fires in Kuwait.
Boots & Coots Inc. snuffed the burning wells by pumping liquid nitrogen onto the flames through a venturi tube positioned over the fires and spraying them with water from a Kuwaiti fire truck.
Boots & Coots said the procedure works on some small fires but not on most large ones. Red Adair Co. Inc.'s crews also were reported to be trying the method.
In other action, Eastman Christensen Co. is lining up a contract to drill relief wells in the massive campaign to contain history's worst oil field fires, estimated at 500600 burning wells.
A U.S. government study suggests there is no major air pollution health risk from the oil fires thus far.
Aramco Services Co. let contract to Stone & Webster to study ways to protect Saudi Arabia's seawater intakes from oil spills in the Persian Gulf.
WILD WELLS UPDATE
At presstime last week, about 20-30 nonburning wild wells had been killed since well control crews began arriving Mar. 19.
Support crews reported Apr. 5 they were completing efforts to provide water to fight well fires.
Wild Well Control Co. said its crews last week were working in Burgan field on high volume blowouts that weren't ablaze. About 80 such wells have been counted in Kuwait.
Officials of other well control companies said crews will begin a full scale campaign of fighting well fires when water pits are dug, lined, and filled. Water was expected to be available Apr. 3, but at presstime last week, a pipeline to the coast to bring in seawater at the rate of 4,500 gal/min was not complete.
Unexploded munitions continue to hamper work. Some well sites must be cleared of explosives before crews can begin trying to control blowouts.
OGE Drilling, a unit of O'Brien, Goins, Simpson & Associates Inc., Midland, Tex., said munitions dropped by coalition aircraft pose the greatest danger to well control crews. O'Brien Goins is coordinating the firefighting effort.
On Mar. 31, more than 30 unexploded U.S. Air Force BLU97 munitions were found in an area where firefighting crews wanted to bulldoze a water pit.
Industry sources said no Iraqi antipersonnel or antitank mines have been found in Burgan field.
Boots & Coots crews were following month-on, month-off scheduling.
EQUIPMENT PROBLEMS
Meanwhile, more equipment to control blowouts at burning wells is beginning to arrive in Kuwait, including such items as high volume water pumps, Athey wagons, pipe fittings, and valves.
But officials of companies assigned to control the blowouts criticized efforts to deliver well control equipment to Kuwait.
They blamed Kuwaiti delays in signing contracts and Saudi bureaucratic snafus for delays in shipping equipment across the Saudi border. A key problem was the delay Bechtel Corp., which is coordinating the overall Kuwaiti reconstruction effort, encountered in getting a contract signed by Kuwaiti officials, well control specialists said. Some equipment had been awaiting shipment too long at Ellington Field near Galveston Bay, they said.
Well control officials also described as "junk" two bulldozers delivered to the scene.
"Providing equipment for the work should have been a top priority," one well control specialist said. "And it should have been brand new."
RELIEF WELLS CONTRACT
Eastman Christensen continues to press its bid for a contract to drill relief wells to control Kuwaiti blowouts.
Talks with the government of Kuwait apparently are on hold, awaiting decisions about where, when, and how many relief wells will be needed. A decision is expected from the Kuwaiti government within 30 days.
An Eastman Christensen official said, "Until Kuwaiti officials get much better readings on the success rate of firefighters and on wells that have high odds of snuffing themselves by natural processes, such as paraffin accumulation, they won't be in a position to make that determination."
Eastman Christensen is seeking to drill relief wells on day rate contracts covering engineering competency as well as equipment.
Kuwaiti officials have said in negotiations they believe 60-90 days will be needed to mobilize rigs and crews, once they have decided where relief wells will be needed.
Eastman Christensen could meet that schedule by diverting personnel and equipment from operations in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Oman.
AIR POLLUTION CONCERNS
A preliminary report by a U.S. government task force headed by the Environmental Protection Agency said the Kuwaiti oil well fires pose no toxic air pollution problems.
The study said meteorological conditions the past 2 months have blown the smoke plume southeast with periodic shifts northeast. The plume is generally below 12,000 ft. But, the study noted, March through July is a relatively windy period in the region. Winds are calm from August to October, so the height of the plume will rise and the pollution will not be dispersed as much.
The study said limited sampling did not find high concentrations of sulfur dioxide or hydrogen sulfide near the burning wells or in populated areas in the path of the oil well emissions.
Analysis of particulates found no chemicals at levels of concern, but high levels of particulates were in the air.
The report said, "Local populations are being exposed to an increased health risk, the magnitude of which cannot be estimated with any degree of certainty without further measurements and surveys."
The study found no major, short term health problems but noted, "The long term effects on health are not readily ascertainable at this time due to insufficient data on the populations exposed, composition of the smoke plume, the impact of oil pools, and long term meteorological patterns."
ARAMCO CONTRACT
Stone & Webster's work under its Aramco contract is to begin immediately.
Contract value is not disclosed.
Focus of the study will be 35 structures that serve Saudi power generating and desalination plants.
First phase of work calls for site surveys, reviews, and conceptual design. Detailed design and construction are not part of the contract's scope and will be dealt with later.
Using advanced oil spill predictive modeling, Stone & Webster will evaluate such long term solutions as construction of alternative intakes, erection of barriers, and installation of other equipment to protect intakes. It also will assess conventional and advanced water treatment technologies for oil spill separation and coagulation.
The study will result in a plan that will recommend site specific technical measures to permanently protect seawater entering intakes from oil spills.
Stone & Webster's offices in Boston, Houston, and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will conduct the study.
Field activities will be carried out at its office in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
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