There was a small fire at an Antero Resources well pad in Doddridge County, WV last Thursday. Antero immediately shut down the four producing natural gas wells and contacted local first responders who put the fire out. The important news is that (a) nobody was hurt, (b) the environment was not harmed, and (c) the wells are secure and there is no danger. What happened is this: When natural gas comes out of the borehole, more than just methane comes out. Along with methane comes other hydrocarbons and water. There is a separating unit on the pad to strip out the water and some of the other substances from the methane. That unit failed, allowing some methane to escape which then caught fire. The good new is that safety precautions worked and the fire did not spread. Below are the details…
There was a small fire at an Antero Resources well pad in Doddridge County, WV last Thursday. Antero immediately shut down the four producing natural gas wells and contacted local first responders who put the fire out. The important news is that (a) nobody was hurt, (b) the environment was not harmed, and (c) the wells are secure and there is no danger. What happened is this: When natural gas comes out of the borehole, more than just methane comes out. Along with methane comes other hydrocarbons and water. There is a separating unit on the pad to strip out the water and some of the other substances from the methane. That unit failed, allowing some methane to escape which then caught fire. The good new is that safety precautions worked and the fire did not spread. Below are the details…