Assessment of Risks Associated with Carbon Monoxide Gas During Well Perforation

摘要

Carbon monoxide (CO), a toxic, colorless gas, is a well known product of incompletecombustion. It had not been a concern around oil and gas wells until an unexpected and tragic accidentoccurred at the Seacliff oil well in Ventura County, California in August of 1994 in which three workerswere killed due to CO exposure from a well perforation operation. Toxic ambient conditions due toexplosive byproducts from perforations at oil wells have apparently been quite rare; however, there arereasons for caution and justification to take appropriate CO safety measures when oil well perforationsare taking place. Perforation is the process of creating holes in the casing of an oil well that penetrate the cementsheath that surrounds the steel casing and extend some depth into the geologic formation through theuse of powerful explosives. Perforating allows for fluid flow between the petroleum reservoir and thewellbore. This report relates information from several types of sourcesresearch, empirical, andtheoreticalto the operations at an oil well that contribute to the potential exposure of humans to CO. The goal of RTIs efforts is to provide insights and recommendations for the Mineral ManagementService, other governmental bodies, and the petroleum industry to reduce the risks of CO exposure from perforating operations at petroleum sites.