Minimum distance from a new facility to an abandoned oil well
Minimum distance from a new facility to an abandoned oil well
(OP)
Greetings to all.
I'm in a new project to install five natural gas compressor 120 mmscfd each.
In two of the possible installation sites, there are oil wells constructed in the 50s and nearly 30 years of being abandoned.
My question to you is: Is there a code or standard that indicates the criteria for determining the minimum separation distance from a new facility to an abandoned oil well?
Do you know any criteria established by any oil company for a similar case?
Do you know of a similar thread on this site?
Thanks in advance.
LV
I'm in a new project to install five natural gas compressor 120 mmscfd each.
In two of the possible installation sites, there are oil wells constructed in the 50s and nearly 30 years of being abandoned.
My question to you is: Is there a code or standard that indicates the criteria for determining the minimum separation distance from a new facility to an abandoned oil well?
Do you know any criteria established by any oil company for a similar case?
Do you know of a similar thread on this site?
Thanks in advance.
LV





RE: Minimum distance from a new facility to an abandoned oil well
A properly plugged well is just about the most inert thing on the planet.
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. Galileo Galilei, Italian Physicist
RE: Minimum distance from a new facility to an abandoned oil well
my question arises because our people here, are having a discussion about how near an abandoned well can be built the foundation of a compressor. Civil engineers say that could be compromised the integrity of the foundation if it is built very close to the abandoned well. I am not expert on the subject, so, and I wanted to ask some questions to have better information.
RE: Minimum distance from a new facility to an abandoned oil well
RE: Minimum distance from a new facility to an abandoned oil well
The soil strength issue is nonsense. When the well was drilled, the surface casing was encased in cement. When it was plugged, the production casing was filled with cement. Is there anywhere else on the site that has hundreds of meters of steel and cement as a support? Probably not. We have a lot of trouble getting crops to grow in the compacted soil around a wellhead after abandonment so I'm not sure that the issue about surrounding soil strength is more than just spit-balling what-if garbage.
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. Galileo Galilei, Italian Physicist
RE: Minimum distance from a new facility to an abandoned oil well
Excellent advice from two highly experienced engineers above.
The key for me is in zdas04's sentence "A properly plugged well is just about the most inert thing on the planet."
The converse is also true - An improperly plugged well....
I have seen some very dodgy plugged wells which still had some crude and little bubbles of gas on the surface (it was the FSU...)
Personally I would go for a 5m or 15ft radius as an exclusion zone and avoid anything in that area. Basically engineering judgment on the basis that the well itself is well plugged. The contaminated soil bit is something to investigate - what was common practice back in the 50's and 60's was a lot different to todays practice and burying things accepted. If you find contaminated soil, the clean-up and disposal costs will be many times any savings you make by getting close to this item.
I'm struggling to think why you are so space limited that you're even getting to this point, but I guess that's the hand you're dealing with.
Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.
RE: Minimum distance from a new facility to an abandoned oil well
Guess other things that may affect the outcome of this study may be :
a) Are each of these machines fitted with auto emergency depressurisation / blowdown valves?
b) What is the separation distance between each compression train ?
c) Will you auto blowdown all trains when one train is being blowdown ?
d) Asuming this abandoned oil well may still be pressurised, was this well in sour service?
e) Any vessels with volatile liquids / H2S in this compression facility ?
f) Do you want to allow for any maintenance (hot) work at this abandoned well when this compression facility is running?
RE: Minimum distance from a new facility to an abandoned oil well
RE: Minimum distance from a new facility to an abandoned oil well
What discharge pressure do you have for these compressors?
1200psig
a) Are each of these machines fitted with auto emergency depressurisation / blowdown valves?
Yes
b) What is the separation distance between each compression train ?
25m
c) Will you auto blowdown all trains when one train is being blowdown ?
No.
d) Asuming this abandoned oil well may still be pressurised, was this well in sour service?
No
e) Any vessels with volatile liquids / H2S in this compression facility ?
No
f) Do you want to allow for any maintenance (hot) work at this abandoned well when this compression facility is running?
No
RE: Minimum distance from a new facility to an abandoned oil well
RE: Minimum distance from a new facility to an abandoned oil well