One of the most interesting projects in GSM’s rich history.  Canyon City is a desert.  The only water available came from the Colorado River through an ancient pipeline up the side of the canyon that was accessible only by certified mountain climbers.  The National Park Service asked GSM if it was possible to locate a drilling rig at the top of the canyon and drill out the side of the canyon.  GSM said, “Sure!”  The obstacles were many and the naysayers plentiful.  Meetings met with strong opposition.  But, the project went forward.  The well was completed without incident and below budget.  The water provides convenience to the city today and for many years to come.

A local utility asked GSM to design and drill a Class II disposal well. The drilling was the easiest part. The bureaucratic paper work was a nightmare! GSM responded to the challenge and drilled the most economical and functional Class II disposal well the local regulators had seen and been involved in. It serves the customer well with many millions of barrels of water having been safely injected.

Can a well blowout for 87 years? Yes, it can! This well was drilled on the bank of the Peace River in northern Alberta. It blew out at 1146 feet and the operator abandoned the location. It continued to flow unimaginable quantities of essentially sea water into the mighty Peace River along with a small quantity of sour gas. An attempt was made to control the well by drilling a “relief” well. Cement was pumped and victory was declared. However over the ensuing years, the farmer noticed holes and pits around the old location. A rig was assembled on the earlier " relief" well location and an obstruction was encountered. The rig was skidded over and a second “relief” well was spudded. At about 100 feet, the rig was washed off location and the project was abandoned. Later the EUB connected the well heads together and the flow was commingled at the surface to flow into the river. The well was lost. Early in this century, the Canadian Federal Government sued the Provincal Government for polluting the Peace River and demanded the old blowout be plugged. The feasibility team contacted GSM. It was determined that the preponderance of the 30000 barrels of salt water being produced daily was coming from the well which was only a few hundred feet deep. Very little was flowing from the earlier well. It was obvious that an underground blowout was in progress. It was concluded that the most likely source was the original well that blew out. Utilizing GSM’s well control software, a plan was prepared. Excavation finally located the old well. It was successfully re-entered and killed according to the plan and procedure.

In a state known for “BIG”, this was called by many - the Biggest Blowout in the History of the State of Texas.  Eighteen months and five industry “firsts” highlighted the success of this unique project. Truly one of the most spectacular blowouts in the history of the industry. All surface control procedures had proven futile. After six months, GSM was appointed project manager. GSM successfully designed the facility to capture and market the gas while designing and implementing the deepest relief well in the history of the industry. A wellbore intercept was accomplished below 16,000 feet and controlled the well in a matter of minutes after completion of the intercept.

A underground blowout in Taiwan created a large crater adjacent to the location. It was the biggest blowout in Taiwan’s history and politically very sensitive. A competitor directed the operation for more than six months until the end of the year. Numerous control and kill attempts were unsuccessful. Shortly after the first of the year the competitor was released and GSM was given the opportunity to serve as project manager. The previous operator had left the well in a very precarious position with a packer stuck at a shallow depth. GSM’s exclusive well software was utilized to analyze the problem and design the kill procedure. Approximately four months were required to undo that which had been done by our predecessor and about two weeks to control the well utilizing GSM’s original plan.

At what may be one of the biggest blowouts in African history, tubular failure resulted in an uncontrolled flow in excess of 180 MMSCFPD and 5000 BCPD into the shallow aquifers. As a result, a water well less than a football field’s distance from the blowout erupted, creating a crater 150 feet in diameter and 100 feet in depth. Fire roaring more than 300 feet into the Sahara sky made working at the well site difficult. GSM’s proprietary software was utilized to model the situation and define the control procedure. The well was safely secured and unique fluid dynamics brought the dangerous desert blowout under control without further environmental impact.

Bob Grace was asked by Kuwait Oil Company to serve as Fire Fighting and Wild Well Control Coordinator for the giant Burgan Field. In his official capacity, Bob Grace was responsible for more than 300 well fires and blowouts and 17 fire fighting teams. Burgan is the second largest oil field in the world and was the most challenging in Kuwait. It was conquered in three months as opposed to the several years estimated by some experts.