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Started By
Message
re: Blowout in Blanchard Oklahoma
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:12 pm to Disco Ball
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:12 pm to Disco Ball
This is a total WAG (wild arse guess), but here goes.
Four wells were drilled horizontally off a single pad, two in one direction, two in the other. You’d use a full drilling rig for that, with mud tanks and powerful pumps.
The well was then hydraulically fractured in stages with plugs set on each stage. There could be thirty to fifty of those.
A less complicated rig, they’d probably call this one a completion rig, removes or drills out the plugs and does the “flowback” to get the well ready to produce. It’s high pressure water, and it’s controlled at the surface by iron pipe. (This may be only roughly right.)
The flowback crew but a 90 degree elbow on one of the wells as they were flowing back high pressure frac water at the surface. Because of the angle the water (with sand or proppants in it likely) eroded the metal, probably at the point of the angle.
That allowed extremely high pressure water to escape from a narrow cut. Think pressure washer.
Under oilfield pressures, that flow can “cut out” metal quick, fast, and in a hurry.
The flow cut off all the wellheads containing pressure. The resulting flow from that hit the bottom of the rig and flowed out as you see in different directions.
I am not a PE. I’ve just been oilfield all my life. A real engineer may give you a clearer picture.
Four wells were drilled horizontally off a single pad, two in one direction, two in the other. You’d use a full drilling rig for that, with mud tanks and powerful pumps.
The well was then hydraulically fractured in stages with plugs set on each stage. There could be thirty to fifty of those.
A less complicated rig, they’d probably call this one a completion rig, removes or drills out the plugs and does the “flowback” to get the well ready to produce. It’s high pressure water, and it’s controlled at the surface by iron pipe. (This may be only roughly right.)
The flowback crew but a 90 degree elbow on one of the wells as they were flowing back high pressure frac water at the surface. Because of the angle the water (with sand or proppants in it likely) eroded the metal, probably at the point of the angle.
That allowed extremely high pressure water to escape from a narrow cut. Think pressure washer.
Under oilfield pressures, that flow can “cut out” metal quick, fast, and in a hurry.
The flow cut off all the wellheads containing pressure. The resulting flow from that hit the bottom of the rig and flowed out as you see in different directions.
I am not a PE. I’ve just been oilfield all my life. A real engineer may give you a clearer picture.
This post was edited on 1/30/26 at 2:16 pm
1
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:14 pm to Disco Ball
quote:
What is a "Workover Rig"
I'm married to a roughneck. I only halfway listen when he explains shite, but I pick things up here and there. I believe a workover rig does maintenance on existing wells. They're smaller and more mobile than giant arse drilling rigs. Can't answer the question about the high pressure spray.
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:18 pm to RanchoLaPuerto
Probably drilling plugs or working over the well. I've had a couple blow outs back in my coil days and they're no fun. Especially when the pipe wipes out the BOP accumulators.
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:30 pm to billjamin
I have been on directional jobs with these little rigs. It was really shallow stuff and we used small tools to achieve the 70 deg doglegs needed to drill horizontally at 1700 feet tvd.
So it does happen on occasion. 99% sure this is workover or re entry type work. I have not worked or did anything around Blanchard. Not sure what they drill for over there. On ok work i been on was in the southeast part of the state. Avoided the pan handle work as its pretty crappy out there
So it does happen on occasion. 99% sure this is workover or re entry type work. I have not worked or did anything around Blanchard. Not sure what they drill for over there. On ok work i been on was in the southeast part of the state. Avoided the pan handle work as its pretty crappy out there
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:30 pm to RanchoLaPuerto
Does anyone know who the operator is yet?
Chevron had a bad 4 day blowout up here last year at their Bishop Pad during completions operations. It would suck for Chevron if this well was theirs too.
Chevron had a bad 4 day blowout up here last year at their Bishop Pad during completions operations. It would suck for Chevron if this well was theirs too.
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:34 pm to phil good
quote:
Call Tommy and cooper Norris.
Tommy will pull up to the scene and be a complete dickhead to the sheriff and tell the sheriff to go get him a Dr. Pepper.
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:36 pm to RanchoLaPuerto
OK, so what is spraying out of that rig, at least for right now, is not flammable?
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:41 pm to Disco Ball
quote:
OK, so what is spraying out of that rig, at least for right now, is not flammable?
It looks like natural gas. So yes.
It would have an LEL between 8 and 13 percent IIRC.
If it’s just salt water, then no.
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:43 pm to Disco Ball
quote:
OK, so what is spraying out of that rig, at least for right now, is not flammable?
a mix of gas and produced water
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:43 pm to RanchoLaPuerto
quote:
It looks like natural gas. So yes.
I was today years old when I realized natural gas underground was a liquid. I thought it was a gas that was just liquified for transport.
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:43 pm to Disco Ball
“OK, so what is spraying out of that rig, at least for right now, is not flammable?”
I defer to those more knowledgeable but wouldn’t that likely be water—at really high pressures entrained with natural gas?
I defer to those more knowledgeable but wouldn’t that likely be water—at really high pressures entrained with natural gas?
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:44 pm to Strannix
quote:
when it washed out it cut all four wellheads off like a waterjet cutter.
Did not happen.
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:45 pm to Chucktown_Badger
quote:
I was today years old when I realized natural gas underground was a liquid
It's not. The gas comes up with liquid (produced water) and then it is separated on the pad and transported via pipeline in gas form.
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:46 pm to Chucktown_Badger
Not sure what you mean. The flow would include gas entrained in water, probably.
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:48 pm to Salmon
quote:
Did not happen.
I’ve seen similar. High pressure water with sand is no fricking joke. I’ve seen it cut through all kinds of stuff.
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:49 pm to Salmon
If it did happen, how do you kill it?
Would a slip on work?
Would a slip on work?
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:52 pm to RanchoLaPuerto
I'm not in operations or engineering, I'm on the regulatory side. I was out there right after it happened.
I read and was involved in all the investigations afterwards, but I couldn't tell you exactly how they killed the well.
I read and was involved in all the investigations afterwards, but I couldn't tell you exactly how they killed the well.
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:54 pm to Shreve Perry
quote:Sadlowski Fire Fighting
Only one crew to call
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:58 pm to N.O. via West-Cal
The emulsion coming up a wellbore to the surface can be a mixture of natural gas, produced water, condensate, and oil. If this was a gas well, there would only be a trace amount of oil, if any, in the emulsion. It just depends on the formation(s) that the well is producing from.
This post was edited on 1/30/26 at 3:03 pm
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:59 pm to RanchoLaPuerto
I remember the blowout a few years ago right next to the I-10 basin bridge.
That was a mess
That was a mess
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