- Author
-
Pfenning, D. B.
- Title
- Blowout Fire Simulation Tests, Final Report.
- Coporate
- Energy Analysts, Inc., Norman, OK
- Sponsor
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
-
NBS GCR 85-484,
January 1985,
202 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
-
blowout fires
|
fire extinguishment
|
large scale fire tests
|
water sprays
|
well fires
- Abstract
- The blowout of oil and gas wells during drilling, production, and workover presents a serious hazard to personnel, the environment, and equipment. The only practical method to control a well fire subsequent to a blowout is to shut in the hydrocarbon at the well. Although some individuals have effectively used water to mitigate well fire hazards, the quatitative effect of water sprayed into the fire zone is not known. To design effective oil and gas blowout fire control systems, both the hazards associated with the fire and the efficiency of water to control fire hazards must be quantitatively understood. The Center for Fire Research (CFR) of the National bureau of Standards has studied for the Department of the Interior the effectiveness of water spray to control and extinguish fires resulting from gas well blowouts. Laboratory scale tests have been performed by CFR on 0.01-10 megawatt fires to study the effects of water injection on the combustion of high velocity methane jets. This report presents the results of two 100 megawatt and five 200 megawat fire tests performed to measure the effects of water spray on fires from large velocity gas discharges characteristic of natural gas well blowouts.