Just a quick question sat watching Jarhead... When a oil well has being ignited how would you put it out, I mean thoose things burn like nothing else how on earth are you meant to put it out?

Its a Texas specialty: you set off an explosion to starve it of oxygen.

Im serious about the texan part, theres a crack team from there that travel the world to do this sort of thing. Saw a special on TV. Theyll set up a water curtain  and use various methods like walking around in those silvery "volcano suits" to get the exposives close enough. Very brave men.

Im serious about the texan part, theres a crack team from there that travel the world to do this sort of thing. Saw a special on TV. Theyll set up a water curtain  and use various methods like walking around in those silvery "volcano suits" to get the exposives close enough. Very brave men.

They now ise both methods, the explosives is now reserved usually for those wells that have been too badly damaged to simply fasten an open valve on the end of whats left and then turn off the flow.

Explosives were used almost exclusively after the first Gulf war when Saddam set the fields alight.

If you cant get close enough, how are you going to attach a valve??

Explosives were used almost exclusively after the first Gulf war when Saddam set the fields alight.

You sure about that?

http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/owf_ii/owf_ii_tabc.htm

If you cant get close enough, how are you going to attach a valve??

They used a crane with the valve suspended from the end, guide the movement from observers using radio and lower it into place. Before they used to put the fire out before they put the valve into place but it can be useful to do it first.


They nearly always fit a new wellhead valve assembly before putting the fire out anyway.