Aged hydrocarbon wells, if proper care is not ensured, can crack, get corroded, and leak subsurface fluids. Permian Basin in Texas, home to thousands of such wells, has seen numerous blowouts and wastewater leaks. Our study employs surface deformation derived from satellite observations, and injection well records to investigate these events. The results reveal an over-pressurized wastewater aquifer producing a surface uplift of 20 cm/yr, likely due to wastewater being injected tens of kilometers away. Focusing on a January 2022 blowout resulting in 3 cm subsidence in 2 weeks, our geophysical model suggests aquifer over-pressurization as the cause. With an excess pressure of over 3 MPa in the aquifer, several more such blowouts are possible in the near future. This research highlights the urgent need to better understand the impact of subsurface fluid injection and calls for prompt action to mitigate the environmental effects of oil and gas production.

中文翻译：

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美国二叠纪盆地废水注入引发油井井喷调查


如果不确保适当的维护，老化的碳氢化合物井可能会破裂、腐蚀并泄漏地下流体。德克萨斯州的二叠纪盆地拥有数千口此类井，已发生多次井喷和废水泄漏。我们的研究利用卫星观测得出的表面变形和注入井记录来调查这些事件。结果显示，超压废水含水层每年产生 20 厘米的地表隆起，这可能是由于废水被注入数十公里之外。我们的地球物理模型以 2022 年 1 月发生的一次井喷导致两周内下沉 3 厘米为重点，表明原因是含水层超压。由于含水层的超压超过 3 MPa，在不久的将来可能会发生更多此类井喷。这项研究强调迫切需要更好地了解地下流体注入的影响，并呼吁立即采取行动减轻石油和天然气生产对环境的影响。