Daily Drilling Report

Monday, January 12, 1988

We came out of the hole with the core last night and noticed that the well was flowing. So, we picked up the bottom hole assembly and started back in the hole. We got to 1500 feet and the well was flowing too hard to continue. We shut in and had 500 psi at the surface. We picked up the kelly and circulated for one hour keeping the drillpipe pressure constant. Then, we shut in again and had 4200 psi at the surface. What do you want to do now?

For as long as oil and gas wells have been drilled, there have been kicks, blowouts, well fires, and other well control problems. It is certain that these problems will continue. In fact, a recent statistical study concluded that there are as many problems today as there were in the 1960s which is rather startling considering the emphasis on regulation and training.

Well control in any and all forms can be accomplished by anyone. That is, anyone can put out a well fire and anyone can kill a well. The Al-Awda Project in Kuwait proved this point beyond a shadow of doubt. In Kuwait, fires were extinguished and wells killed by professionals, engineers, tool pushers, roughnecks, snubbing hands, school teachers, bartenders, mud engineers, farmers, Americans, Iranians, Chinese, Romanians, Hungarians, Russians, as well as Kuwaitis. Interestingly, the average time required to control each well in Kuwait was essentially the same regardless of the composition or...