Exploratory drilling starts near first nuclear site

Journal Article · Sat Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1967 · Gas (Houston); (United States)

OSTI ID:6490290

The first exploratory drilling leading to the selection of the nation's first emplacement hole for an underground nuclear blast site, to increase gas well deliverabilities from tight sandstone gas reservoirs in the western U.S., began during February. The first of a series of undergound nuclear blasts, known as Project Gasbuggy, will be a 20- kiloton explosion to be detonated opposite the Pictured Cliffs Formation. Other projects to follow this one are Project Dragon Trail, and Project Rulison. The rotary drilling equipment being used by Loffland Brothers Co. to drill this hole is described. Also included is a map showing the proposed sites of these 3 projects and a geological cross section of the upper Cretaceous rocks extending from the southwestern flank of the San Juan Basin NW. into N.-central Montana. A presentation of the gas stimulation economics and a discussion of the subsurface geology are also included. Conservative estimates indicate a 5-fold increase in deliverability and an ultimate recovery of almost 7 times more than the recovery using conventional techniques for Project Gasbuggy.

• OSTI ID: 6490290
• Journal Information: Gas (Houston); (United States), Journal Name: Gas (Houston); (United States) Vol. 43:4; ISSN GASSA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
030900* -- Natural Gas-- Artificial Stimulation
Plowshare-- (-1989)
CROSSTIE OPERATION
DRILLING
ECONOMICS
EXPLOSIONS
EXPLOSIVE STIMULATION
GASBUGGY EVENT
NATURAL GAS WELLS
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
PLOWSHARE PROJECT
ROTARY DRILLING
SITE SELECTION
STIMULATION
UNDERGROUND EXPLOSIONS
WELL STIMULATION
WELLS