Carbon monoxide generation in well perforration a ginat source of risk in well completion

Perforation, the process of creating holes in the casing of the well, is one the basic steps in well completion operations and for this process, usually powerful explosive are in use. Not having enough oxygen downhole, during perforation we may face CO generation which is a toxic, colorless gas and it’s one of the byproducts of incomplete combustion. CO exposure had not been a concern around oil and gas wells until a tragedy occurred at the Seacliff oil well in Ventura Country , California in 1994 in which 3 workers were killed due CO poisoning . In this article , first the basic of the explosives which we use in perforation, have been discussed, and then there is a glance at the properties of the major byproducts of the perforation, especially prevent the same accidents to occur in the future operations.

Keywords:

Perforation , Explosive , Carbon monoxide , Toxic gas generation