AREA |
LAST COUNT DATE |
COUNT |
CHANGE FROM PRIOR COUNT |
DATE OF PRIOR COUNT |
CHANGE FROM LAST YEAR |
DATE OF LAST YEARS COUNT |
UNITED STATES |
5/10/13 |
1769 |
+5 |
5/3/13 |
-205 |
5/11/12 |
CANADA |
5/10/13 |
118 |
-3 |
5/3/13 |
-2 |
5/11/12 |
USA OFFSHORE |
5/10/13 |
50 |
-1 |
5/3/13 |
+5 |
5/11/12 |
INTERNATIONAL |
04/2013 |
1301 |
+33 |
3/2013 |
+123 |
4/2012 |
World Oilfield Forum
Jan. 5th 2012 10pm
Nomac Drilling Rig #17 drilled into a shallow gas pocket soon after spudding in at a drilling depth of 900' northwest of Sweetwater, Oklahoma this evening around 6pm and burned to the ground. No injuries were reported.
Workers stated that they encountered the abnormally pressurized zone at relief time around 6pm when the relief crew was in the change house.
It was first thought that they had encountered a shallow air pocket but after testing with a "sniffer" (a device to determine the presence of hydrocarbons) the well soon caught fire.
Witnesses 3/4 of a mile to the north reported hearing a loud "boom" from their residence "and then it sounded like a jet engine was right outside our home".
When they drove down to the drill site to investigate the well was discharging fluid into the air, soon after that something ignited the gas and the rig caught fire.
Bar Hoppers (used to increase the mud weight and counter downhole pressures) were not yet rigged up. A gas separator, chokes and a BOP stack were also on location and waiting to be rigged up and tested as soon as the surface portion of the hole was completed.
Without these blowout prevention devices in place there is little to nothing that can be done to control the well.
It's very unusual to hit a shallow air pocket in the area and even rarer to encounter any hydrocarbons at this shallow depth above the planned surface casing.
El Reno, Oklahoma based Nomac Drilling is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chesapeake Energy, one of the nations most active drillers.
Comment by casper on January 6, 2012 at 6:34am 
Comment by Betty Clark on January 6, 2012 at 6:51am 
Comment by Victor Anderson on January 6, 2012 at 7:06am Yikes! It is amazing nobody was hurt.
Comment by Farid Mohadi on January 6, 2012 at 7:26am Glad everybody is safe. Appreciate if I can I get a safety alert on that.
Thanking you in advance
Comment by Suzie Black on January 6, 2012 at 7:42am 
Comment by Kelly Kruger on January 6, 2012 at 9:08am No body likes to see/hear of these things-But sounds like NOBODY was hurt-one must keep thought that Iron is replaceable
Comment by Sissy Cressionie on January 6, 2012 at 9:23am Thank God no one got hurt. Have a safe and Blessed Day. Work with a guy here in Pennsylvania who said he worked on that rig some years ago.
Comment by JaxonEh on January 6, 2012 at 10:10am Doesn't look like sufficient flow to crater much. Need to get some heavy mud in there.
Comment by Drilling Ahead on January 6, 2012 at 11:24am 
Comment by Kody Whitley on January 6, 2012 at 11:25am Glad no one was hurt. Worked on that rig a couple of years myself.
Comment by Nelson Rojas on January 6, 2012 at 2:04pm Que desgracia. Por suerte nadie salió herido, los fierros se pueden reemplazar, los seres humanos no!
Comment by Drilling Ahead on January 6, 2012 at 2:14pm 
Comment by Drilling Ahead on January 6, 2012 at 2:15pm 
Comment by Farid Mohadi on January 6, 2012 at 3:04pm Asi es.Dicemos lo mismo en arabe: Los fierros se reemplazan pero los seres humanos nunca jamas. Lo importante es que no hay herridos.
Comment by CAVEDWELLER on January 6, 2012 at 5:40pm Like all accidents, it is great to hear no one was injured , we are just about to gain experience here in Ohio of the everyday risk that is built into this type of work , Keep safe, always remember those that depend on you ,and it makes safety a lot easier to master .Have a safe year and many more
Comment by Jonathan N. Ogbogu on January 6, 2012 at 5:53pm What a loss. I hope no lives were lost here.
Comment by Jonathan N. Ogbogu on January 6, 2012 at 6:25pm I thank God that no one was hurt in this accident. To God be the Glory.
Comment by Brad Davidson on January 7, 2012 at 10:26am Who was the consultant out there? Anyone know??
Comment by Horizon3 on January 8, 2012 at 6:18pm Thank The Lord no one was hurt! Gotta watch out for those sand pockets in Oklahoma, they are known to occur pretty much anywhere and are too small to show up on the seismic surveys. They have claimed more than one rig over the years.
Comment by darrin (arkansas) roper on January 9, 2012 at 7:16am gald no one was hurt
© 2013 Created by Drilling Ahead.
You need to be a member of Drilling Ahead to add comments!
Join Drilling Ahead