Hide Article Text (OCR)
PROPOSED PROJECT 6ASBUGGY EXPERIMENT PREDICTED UNDERGROUND EFFECTSTHESE SIMPLIFIED DRAWINGS illustrate the anticipated ef tects of a nuclear explosion deep in the earth. Such an explosion has been proposed as a means of increasing production from a natural gas field. At the mement of detonation (left), the explosion creates a giant cavity and fractures the rock in all directions. Shortly afterward (right), the ceiling of the cavity collapses, re suiting in a rubble-filled “chimney.” A field experiment is out lined in a Project Gasbuggy feasibility report made public today by a study group comprised of representatives of El Paso Natural Gas Company, the San Francisco Operations Office of the I . S. Atomic Energy Commisssion and the l\ S. Burrau of Mines.• Atomic blast(Continued from front page' inary design of an underground nuclear explosion to fracture gas bearing strata in fields whore large quantities of gas are prlt; sently unrecoverable be cause of low permeabilitv of the rock formations. The study team concluded that is such “tight gas-bearing formations, the nuc lear explosion could be expect ed to create extensive fracture systems that would permit gas to flow more freely into wells. Present fracturing methods can not sufficiently increase the flow through manv of these forma i ions.The study indicates that the Pictured Cliffs formation in the S in Juan Basin of New Mexico appears attractive for an experi ment with a 10-kiloton i 10,00(1 tons of TNT equivalent) explosive about 4.000 feet underground.Extensive studies would be made by the AEC to assure safetv of the experiment.The study stated the blast would vaporize t.he rock around it and create a subterranean chamber deep below the surface Then the roof of the chamber would fall in and a “collapse zone,” or area of broken rock, w( uld form over it to a height of alxn.it 350 feet and a width of about 130 feet. This would, in effect, create a large storage chamber into which gas would flow through innumerable fractures extending in all directionsLater, a re-entry hole would be drilled into the top of theThe Jicarilla Chieftain, Page ^ MONDAY. JI I.Y *, 1965chamber to obtain production data and to gather samples of the gas.Preparatory field work could begin within a month or so after a decision ha^ been made to go ahead, but the actual experiment could not take place for at least a yearBasically, nuclear stimulation l'' expected to produce the same results as conventional but greatly magnified. In comen tional stimulation, after a well i' drilled into a gas hearing -and stlt; ne formation the rock i - fractured (cracked) with a fluid under nigh pressure or by the now sc Idem used method of exploding nitroglycerin to enable the gas to move readilv through the rock to the wellA nitroglycerin detonation uses 1,000 to 2,500 quarts. The proposed Casbuggv nuclear ex plosive would equal five million quarts of nitroglycerin.• The Avencio Luceros and Gloria Maestas visited the Adam- State College campus on Saturday. June 20th. Mis- Maes tas plans to enroll at the college this fall.• Nadine Vigil celebrated her 5th birthday anniversary with a party given by her mother, Leslie, lt;n Sunday. June 27tb Ice-cream, cake and soft drinks were served. Several children attended• F. E. Dubisson attended to business in Gallup on June 23 25th.KTOHATKMnot ro scAirArrtR DCT0KATOWNOT TO 50U.fmuniAHOFORMATIONOCTONATION POINTICWfS FORMATIONtfWIS FORMATIONt0RM*TKHCAvrrr
Newspaper Details
Dulce Jicarilla Chieftain
Dulce, New Mexico, US
Mon, Jul 05, 1965
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Emily J.
USA 22 Jan 2024
Other Publications Near Dulce, New Mexico
Dulce Jicarilla Chieftain
