U.S. Department of the Interior
Minerals Management Service
Office of Communications

WELL CONTROL WORKSHOP

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) and Louisiana State University (LSU) will cosponsor a Well Control Workshop on November 19-20, 1996, at the Lod Cook Alumni Center (on LSU Campus) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Regional Director Chris Oynes announced today.

To examine sustained casinghead pressure concerns and the broader issue of underground blowouts in a better fashion, MMS and LSU are convening the 2-day workshop. Day 1 will be conducted as an extension of the MMS Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Regional Operations Technology Assessment Committee's discussion of sustained casinghead pressure issues. MMS regulations and policy will be presented and discussed with industry, as will the results of the recent surveys mandated by MMS. Remedial projects and research efforts will also be discussed. Day 2 will provide LSU the opportunity to present ongoing well control research projects under contract and to obtain input concerning the direction of this research.

The MMS has funded well control research at LSU since the early 1980's. The current 5-year project includes 12 tasks addressing issues relating to underground blowouts. The long-range objective of MMS and LSU through the well control research program is to develop improved methods for detecting and quickly stopping an underground blowout.

Additional information about the 2-day workshop can be obtained from LSU's Petroleum Engineering Department by contacting Dr. Adam (Ted) Bourgoyne, Jr. or Jeanette Wooden at (504) 388-5215, or from MMS by contacting Jim Regg at (504) 736-2843. There is no cost for the 2-day workshop, but advance registration is advisable.

Interested persons can find a copy of the meeting agenda on the MMS GOM Homepage under What's New.

MMS is the federal agency that manages the Nation's natural gas, oil, and other mineral resources on the OCS, and collects, accounts for, and disburses about $4 billion yearly in revenues from offshore federal mineral leases and from onshore mineral lease on federal and Indian lands.

-MMS-

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