More than 90% of the oil well blowouts in Kuwait will be capped within 1 year of the start of efforts to control them.
And by the end of 1991, Kuwait could be producing 250,000-500,000 b/d of oil, the president of one of four companies working to control the blowouts predicts.
"It won't take them as long as you think to get back into production," said Joe Bowden, president of Wild Well Control Inc., Spring, Tex. "Any of the wells we've capped could be put back on production," about 50 of which could be back on stream within 24 hr if Kuwaiti authorities so decide.
"And these are good wells," he added.
Also battling wild wells are Red Adair Co. and Boots & Coots Inc., both of Houston, and Safety Boss Ltd., Calgary.
According to best estimates, Iraqi troops destroyed or mined wellheads of about 550 wells as they fled the tiny nation they invaded last August.
Bowden reported encountering no blowouts where relief wells will be needed to regain control. He declined to estimate the cost of returning Kuwaiti wells to production.
WHAT'S BEING DONE
Bowden said Kuwaiti officials are considering plugging and abandoning many of the country's damaged wells because of their advanced age. As many as four old wells could be replaced with one new well drilled with modern techniques, he said.
Kuwaiti officials are assembling crews to move in behind well control companies and begin installing production equipment.
Well control crews have been trying to minimize pollution by concentrating on wells not burning. Their goal is to abate pollution of Kuwait City and improve visibility at the airport there.
Bowden said, "The desert is black, and the country's in shambles," with pools of oil waist deep in many places and up to 4 miles long and several hundred yards wide.
Officials expect the blowouts to damage Kuwaiti reservoirs, but extent of damage so far is unknown.
"I don't think they'll know the extent of damage until they try to go back on production," Bowden said. "But the longer they leave them shut in after capping, the better off the reservoirs are going to be."
Another Wild Well official said as some wells have been shut in, other blowouts nearby have become more violent.
"That means we're doing some good," he said.
Wild Well has four three man crews working in Magwa field. Crews from other well control companies are assigned to Ahmadi field. Bowden's crews have capped 38 wells in Magwa, 19 of which were afire.
"When we finish working in Magwa and Ahmadi, we probably will move to Greater Burgan field," Bowden said.
KILL PROCEDURES
Most of the Kuwaiti blowouts controlled to date were attacked by inserting a tapered stinger into the tubing. Crews pumped drilling fluid containing pieces of rubber inner tube and rope packing fiber through the stinger and into the tubing and annulus. Flow from the blowouts lodges the packing material between the larger end of the stinger and well casing or tubing, sealing the well until crews can inject enough fluid to stem the flow.
The stinger method normally has been used to control wells with relatively low pressures. But Bowden reported stinging one wellhead with pressure of about 900-1,000 psi.
Crews can cap wells while burning or can snuff the fires before capping.
Bowden said team captains decide whether specific wells should be extinguished first.
Crews can determine immediately whether wells can be controlled with a stinger. In other cases it has been necessary to establish a new point for sealing wells and anchoring new wellhead equipment by excavating around the wellheads, removing the cellars, and cutting off damaged wellheads.
"A well must have a packer in the hole if you want to try to sting it," Bowden said. "Ninety percent of the wells are dual completions, so you have to kill blowouts in the tubing and the annulus."
On larger wells already controlled, he said, "We're just cutting wellheads off and killing tubing and annulus at the same time."
Some wells are being controlled with flange to flange capping.
Bowden said crews also have controlled wells with simple assemblies of spools with 6 in. 2,000 psi valves and some 10 in. 2,000 psi valves on top.
NEED FOR WATER
High pressure, high volume blowouts will remain uncontrolled until more water is available.
Water especially is needed to cool crews and equipment at burning wellsites, where radiant heat can exceed 200 F.
Much well control and capping accomplished to date has been aided with small volumes of water mixed in 2 bbl frac tanks at each wellsite.
Each stinger operation has required 22-240 bbl of fluid. More fluid has been needed on wells at which crews have controlled tubing and annulus.
When Bowden left Kuwait early this month, support crews were backflushing gathering lines, preparing to deliver seawater to wellsites through pipelines.
Bowden said water crews were working ahead of well control crews, so water would be available when capping got under way in other locations.
Plans apparently include drilling water wells. Bowden reported six water well rigs have been delivered to Kuwait, but he didn't know whether drilling had begun.
Crews also are awaiting the arrival of cranes to move large blowout preventer assemblies onto the bigger wells. Well control companies plan to use BOP stacks weighing 32,000-51,000 lb to tame the more difficult blowouts.
DEALING WITH DELAYS
While praising efforts of Kuwait Petroleum Co. and Bechtel Corp. to provide the support needed by well control crews, Bowden officials reported having to work around delays with equipment and material.
Early perceptions of delays were mostly caused by misunderstanding the scope of work that needed to be done, Bowden said.
More than 30 fully loaded U.S. Air Force C5A transport planes have delivered more than 2,000 tons of equipment and supplies to Kuwait.
During the 7 months they occupied Kuwait, Iraqi troops destroyed everything that could be destroyed and took anything they could move, Bowden said.
He dismissed reports that Kuwaiti officials were considering bringing in crews from other well control companies.
"The Kuwaiti government is being hard pressed to provide logistical support for well control companies already working," he said.
Unexploded munitions still are forcing crews to move cautiously in the field. Bowden said in 1 day Wild Well employees gathered 261 lb of explosives.
Most of the land mines have been cleared from areas in which well control crews are working.
But Wafra and Umm Gudair fields still are heavily mined, and unexploded cluster bombs dropped by U.S. and British forces remain a problem.
Coastal waters must be swept for mines whenever wind and water conditions change, hampering offloading of supply vessels.
Six ships reportedly were anchored off the coast waiting to be unloaded.
Bowden said destruction is so widespread a comprehensive assessment of damage is difficult, if not impossible.
Damage was extensive to processing and refining facilities but less so to pipelines.
"A lot of inland transportation lines are intact," Bowden said.
He estimated 2,000-2,500 workers are involved in the cleanup and well control campaign.
Copyright 1991 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.
