Investigation of Oil Well Blowouts Triggered by Wastewater Injection in the Permian Basin, USA
Abstract Aged hydrocarbon wells, if proper care is not ensured, can crack, get corroded, and leak subsurface fluids. Permian Basin in Texas, home to thousands of such wells, has seen numerous blowouts and wastewater leaks. Our study employs surface deformation derived from satellite observations, an...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2024-07-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109435 |
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| author | Vamshi Karanam Zhong Lu Jin‐Woo Kim |
| author_facet | Vamshi Karanam Zhong Lu Jin‐Woo Kim |
| author_sort | Vamshi Karanam |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Aged hydrocarbon wells, if proper care is not ensured, can crack, get corroded, and leak subsurface fluids. Permian Basin in Texas, home to thousands of such wells, has seen numerous blowouts and wastewater leaks. Our study employs surface deformation derived from satellite observations, and injection well records to investigate these events. The results reveal an over‐pressurized wastewater aquifer producing a surface uplift of 20 cm/yr, likely due to wastewater being injected tens of kilometers away. Focusing on a January 2022 blowout resulting in 3 cm subsidence in 2 weeks, our geophysical model suggests aquifer over‐pressurization as the cause. With an excess pressure of over 3 MPa in the aquifer, several more such blowouts are possible in the near future. This research highlights the urgent need to better understand the impact of subsurface fluid injection and calls for prompt action to mitigate the environmental effects of oil and gas production. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-25446af03dc346c1902f8ea280cdae98 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-25446af03dc346c1902f8ea280cdae982025-08-20T03:10:25ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072024-07-015114n/an/a10.1029/2024GL109435Investigation of Oil Well Blowouts Triggered by Wastewater Injection in the Permian Basin, USAVamshi Karanam0Zhong Lu1Jin‐Woo Kim2Roy M. Huffington Department of Earth Sciences Southern Methodist University Dallas TX USARoy M. Huffington Department of Earth Sciences Southern Methodist University Dallas TX USARoy M. Huffington Department of Earth Sciences Southern Methodist University Dallas TX USAAbstract Aged hydrocarbon wells, if proper care is not ensured, can crack, get corroded, and leak subsurface fluids. Permian Basin in Texas, home to thousands of such wells, has seen numerous blowouts and wastewater leaks. Our study employs surface deformation derived from satellite observations, and injection well records to investigate these events. The results reveal an over‐pressurized wastewater aquifer producing a surface uplift of 20 cm/yr, likely due to wastewater being injected tens of kilometers away. Focusing on a January 2022 blowout resulting in 3 cm subsidence in 2 weeks, our geophysical model suggests aquifer over‐pressurization as the cause. With an excess pressure of over 3 MPa in the aquifer, several more such blowouts are possible in the near future. This research highlights the urgent need to better understand the impact of subsurface fluid injection and calls for prompt action to mitigate the environmental effects of oil and gas production.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109435InSARwell blowoutswastewater injectionPermian Basinhydrocarbon productiongeodetic modeling |
| spellingShingle | Vamshi Karanam Zhong Lu Jin‐Woo Kim Investigation of Oil Well Blowouts Triggered by Wastewater Injection in the Permian Basin, USA Geophysical Research Letters InSAR well blowouts wastewater injection Permian Basin hydrocarbon production geodetic modeling |
| title | Investigation of Oil Well Blowouts Triggered by Wastewater Injection in the Permian Basin, USA |
| title_full | Investigation of Oil Well Blowouts Triggered by Wastewater Injection in the Permian Basin, USA |
| title_fullStr | Investigation of Oil Well Blowouts Triggered by Wastewater Injection in the Permian Basin, USA |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigation of Oil Well Blowouts Triggered by Wastewater Injection in the Permian Basin, USA |
| title_short | Investigation of Oil Well Blowouts Triggered by Wastewater Injection in the Permian Basin, USA |
| title_sort | investigation of oil well blowouts triggered by wastewater injection in the permian basin usa |
| topic | InSAR well blowouts wastewater injection Permian Basin hydrocarbon production geodetic modeling |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109435 |
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