33:
363:
birds and clouds of insects, attracted by the light, fell into this fiery dance of death and, falling down, burned, often before even reaching the ground". Attempts to quell the fire were unsuccessful; diverting the gas into nearby wells was hampered by the high hydrogen sulfide concentrations, the lower 1,000 m (1,094 yd) of the well had not yet been
40:
400:. Just over twenty seconds later, the fire was successfully extinguished, marking the first time a peaceful nuclear explosion was used to seal a gas well. Almost two years later, a similar detonation with a yield of 47 kilotonnes of TNT (200 TJ) was successfully conducted at the nearby Pamuk gas field to seal another leaking well.
463:
that
Rosehill cover any legal fees as a result of potential damages by using the Baker Hughes name. Tethys duly fulfilled their duties to increase production by raising production up to 1,100 US bbl (131 m) per day in 2011, up from 913 US bbl (109 m) when Tethys acquired
442:
operated the
Northern Urtabulak under a Production Enhancement Contract (PEC) from 1999 to 2005 in partnership with Rosehill Energy. A Production Enhancement Contract stipulates that contractors must increase production of the assigned field by introducing modern, up-to-date technology and drilling
362:
The fire went on to burn for 1,064 days, consuming an estimated 12,000,000 m (423,776,001 cu ft) of natural gas daily, and killed numerous wildlife. The head of the taskforce dedicated to extinguishing the fire, Kamil
Mangushev, wrote in his diary that "At night, flocks of migrating
386:) had been developed by the Design Bureau in Sarov for sealing the well. The explosive was lowered into an inclined well near Well No. 11, two of which had been drilled in order to try to achieve the closest proximity to the original well.
396:, the explosive was detonated at a depth of 1,500 m (1,640 yd) on 30 September 1966. The hole that the explosive was lowered into had also been sealed with cement so as to prevent atmospheric
390:
459:, following the acquisition of the PEC rights in 2009 for US$ 6.5 million (equivalent to $ 9,231,270 in 2023) for the field from British firm Rosehill Energy. Tethys also specified in the
370:
It would be until 1966 that the proposition of detonating a nuclear charge near the well in order to shift the rock layers to seal the well was proposed. Employees of Design Bureau No. 11 in
355:
and steel that did not have the chemical properties to resist corrosive environments caused the wellhead to fail. An ignition source set fire to the natural gas, ejecting the wellhead from
331:
On 1 December 1963, control during drilling in Well No. 11 in the
Southern Urtabulak was lost at a depth of 2,450 m (8,038 ft) after encountering an area of
622:
653:
489:
1020:
777:
271:
located in South
Uzbekistan near the Uzbekistan–Turkmenistan border. It was the site of a natural gas well blowout which led to the first use of a
32:
1030:
933:
378:
and were tasked with resolving the blowout in the
Urtabulak gas field. Come fall of 1966, a specialised nuclear explosive with a yield of 30
1035:
319:
were estimated at just over 23,000,000 m (812,237,335 cu ft) in 1968. The
Urtabulak field is considered to be a combination
554:
Ulmishek GF (February 2006). Petroleum
Geology and Resources of the Amu-Darya Basin, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Iran.
89:
1025:
367:
either, alongside the exact location of the bottom of the well being unknown as it had not been logged at the time of the accident.
556:
476:. Tethys later announced in January 2014 that it would be exiting Uzbekistan, following accusations by the Uzbek government of
864:
432:
beginning in 1961. The discovery of hydrocarbons came in 1963, and the fire briefly paused commercial activities until 1969.
448:
683:
375:
518:
Nordyke, et al. (28 June 1973). A Review of Soviet Data on the
Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Explosions (Report).
904:
397:
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techniques in exchange for a fifty-fifty split of the increased production. Baker Hughes was later charged with
460:
958:
241:
833:
806:
733:
429:
997:
738:
340:
909:
714:
Shabad, Theodore (2 December 1971). "Soviet
Discloses Nuclear Blast That Put Out Fire in Gas Field".
465:
316:
284:
408:
The discovery of the Urtabulak field was made as part of a larger discovery of hydrocarbons in the
320:
811:
716:
69:
963:
731:
Azizov, D (18 May 2012). "Tethys signs contract to develop oil field in southern Uzbekistan".
627:
595:
533:
494:
352:
336:
268:
778:"Tethys Closes Acquisition Of Uzbekistan-Based Subsidiary From Rosehill Energy For US$ 6.5MM"
869:
841:
585:
523:
456:
452:
344:
128:
988:
413:
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312:
303:
and other similar rocks occupy the field to a depth of 400 m (1,312 ft), with
578:
Nordyke MD (October 1996). The Soviet Program for Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Explosions.
473:
416:
being the first, having been discovered in 1956 with estimated reserves of 25,000
379:
364:
311:
covering another 1,030 m (3,379 ft) below that layer, below which is largely
251:
1014:
688:
469:
124:
435:
332:
272:
139:
1001:
742:
684:"Why did the Soviets use a THERMONUCLEAR WEAPON to extinguish hellish-like fire?"
464:
the PEC rights in 2009. Techniques employed to help increase production included
782:
654:"Soviet Engineers Detonated a Nuke Miles Underground to Put Out a Gas Well Fire"
425:
934:"Tethys Petroleum on Radial Drilling Technology Case History: North Urtabulak"
878:
439:
417:
292:
59:
631:
617:
104:
91:
477:
409:
383:
308:
304:
300:
874:
428:). Operation of the field began in the 1960s prior to the accident, with
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present. Exploratory drilling did not uncover any rocks older than the
537:
993:
890:
599:
528:
590:
371:
323:, with the gas trapped between an anhydride layer and limestone.
580:
519:
455:
in 2001. The field was then managed by Canadian energy firm
391:
General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
757:"Tethys Petroleum acquires new oil field in Uzbekistan"
246:
865:"Uzbek Well Flows Over 1,100 Barrels of Oil Per Day"
343:), alongside higher than expected concentrations of
262:
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120:
83:
75:
65:
55:
21:
335:natural gas, with pressures exceeding 300
374:had already investigated in theory the use of
299:at a depth of 3,430 m (11,253 ft).
234:
8:
986:Uzbekistan Oil & Gas Report - Q2 2014.
490:Nuclear Explosions for the National Economy
359:and melting a portion of the drilling rig.
39:
959:"Tethys Petroleum Pulls Out Of Uzbekistan"
626:(in Russian). No. 7. pp. 64–65.
549:
547:
18:
807:"Baker Hughes Admits to Overseas Bribery"
589:
573:
571:
569:
567:
527:
451:in 2007, having been previously issued a
169:1,100 barrels per day (~55,000 t/a)
709:
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611:
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283:The Urtabulak field consists largely of
772:
770:
505:
7:
678:
676:
674:
513:
511:
509:
932:Elliot, Steve (5 September 2011).
14:
652:English, Trevor (10 April 2020).
174:Year of current production of oil
1021:Natural gas fields in Uzbekistan
38:
31:
905:"Tethys in Urtabulak asset buy"
805:Norris, Floyd (27 April 2007).
557:United States Geological Survey
287:layers, with deposits from the
47:Location of Urtabulak gas field
16:Natural gas field in Uzbekistan
1031:Energy accidents and incidents
1:
989:Uzbekistan Oil and Gas Report
449:Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
351:that was not equipped with a
1036:Peaceful nuclear explosions
376:peaceful nuclear explosions
263:
247:
1052:
834:"Share Purchase Agreement"
185:124 million barrels (~1.69
398:radioactive contamination
255:
235:
166:Current production of oil
26:
1026:Explosions in Uzbekistan
616:Осадчий, Андрей (2010).
461:share purchase agreement
389:With approval from then-
333:abnormally high pressure
658:Interesting Engineering
734:Tribune Content Agency
200:Estimated gas in place
347:. A combination of a
996:. 2014. p. 15.
430:exploratory drilling
404:Commercial operation
317:Natural gas reserves
285:terrigenous sediment
692:. 15 September 2022
618:"Удар из-под Земли"
231:Urtabulak gas field
136:Service contractors
101: /
22:Urtabulak gas field
881:. 17 February 2011
845:. 27 February 2009
812:The New York Times
717:The New York Times
438:under its Cyprian
418:billion cu ft
275:to seal the well.
70:Qashqadaryo Region
964:Radio Free Europe
873:(Press release).
495:Project Plowshare
380:kilotonnes of TNT
353:blowout preventer
269:natural gas field
261:
245:
227:
226:
223: cu ft)
105:38.968°N 64.519°E
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967:. 3 January 2014
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457:Tethys Petroleum
453:cease-and-desist
423:
412:basin, with the
345:hydrogen sulfide
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260:romanized:
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129:Tethys Petroleum
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76:Offshore/onshore
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786:. 14 April 2009
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468:and the use of
466:radial drilling
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414:Gazli gas field
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394:Leonid Brezhnev
329:
313:marine sediment
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182:Recoverable oil
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913:. 6 March 2009
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763:. 16 May 2012.
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623:Наука и жизнь
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148:Field history
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125:Uzbekneftegaz
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969:. Retrieved
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941:. Retrieved
937:
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915:. Retrieved
908:
899:
889:– via
883:. Retrieved
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859:
847:. Retrieved
840:
828:
816:. Retrieved
810:
800:
788:. Retrieved
781:
760:
751:
732:
726:
720:. p. 2.
715:
694:. Retrieved
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661:. Retrieved
657:
647:
635:. Retrieved
621:
579:
555:
436:Baker Hughes
434:
407:
388:
369:
361:
339:(4,409
330:
282:
273:nuclear bomb
230:
228:
220:
213: m (810
210:
192:
143:Eriell Group
140:Baker Hughes
783:Hart Energy
108: /
84:Coordinates
1015:Categories
1002:1505417429
992:(Report).
879:Marketwire
743:1014137093
584:(Report).
501:References
447:under the
440:subsidiary
382:(126
309:anhydrides
305:limestones
301:Sandstones
293:Cretaceous
264:Oʻrtabuloq
161:Production
96:64°31′08″E
93:38°58′05″N
60:Uzbekistan
632:0028-1263
560:(Report).
478:crude oil
410:Amu-Darya
307:and salt
256:Ўртабулоқ
248:Urtabulas
242:romanized
236:Уртабулас
153:Discovery
121:Operators
998:ProQuest
910:Upstream
875:Tashkent
761:UZ Daily
739:ProQuest
484:See also
424:10
365:cemented
357:wellbore
349:wellhead
327:Accident
297:Cenozoic
289:Jurassic
195: t)
177:Sep 2011
131:(former)
971:27 June
943:28 June
917:27 June
885:27 June
849:29 June
818:29 June
790:27 June
696:29 June
663:29 June
637:28 June
538:4353229
480:theft.
445:bribery
279:Geology
267:) is a
79:Onshore
56:Country
1000:
994:London
938:ROGTEC
891:Comtex
741:
630:
600:514386
598:
536:
66:Region
837:(PDF)
472:as a
372:Sarov
252:Uzbek
973:2023
945:2023
919:2023
887:2023
851:2023
820:2023
792:2023
698:2023
665:2023
639:2023
628:ISSN
596:OSTI
581:UCRL
534:OSTI
520:UCRL
420:(7.1
321:trap
291:and
229:The
156:1963
586:doi
524:doi
341:psi
337:atm
1017::
961:.
936:.
907:.
877::
867:.
839:.
809:.
780:.
769:^
759:.
737:.
706:^
686:.
673:^
656:.
620:.
608:^
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546:^
532:.
522:.
508:^
384:TJ
315:.
258:,
254::
239:,
217:10
207:10
203:23
189:10
1004:.
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893:.
853:.
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794:.
745:.
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667:.
641:.
602:.
588::
540:.
526::
426:m
422:×
244::
221:^
215:×
211:^
205:×
193:^
187:×
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