1、Designation: D6285 99 (Reapproved 2012)1Standard Guide forLocating Abandoned Wells1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D6285; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in pa
2、rentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. Asuperscript epsilon () indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1NOTEEditorial changes were made throughout in February 2012.INTRODUCTIONThis guide for locating abandoned wells, provides general procedures and suggestions f
3、oridentifying the locations of wells that are installed for the purposes of oil and gas exploration orproduction, or for groundwater exploration, supply, monitoring, remediation, or injection, andsubsequently have been abandoned. Not all areas require documentation of such abandonment; thus,this gui
4、de has been prepared to provide direction for determining the locations of those abandonedwells.1. Scope1.1 This guide provides an approach to selecting and imple-menting a program to identify the locations of abandonedwells. This guide provides descriptions of methods to be usedas starting points i
5、n the search for these locations. It is notintended to be a step-by-step procedure to conduct the searchprogram.1.2 The described methods are approaches that have beenused at many sites in the past. Other methods may beappropriate. Typically, several approaches are used to obtainacceptable confirmat
6、ion of well locations. This guide is notlimited to specific wells. The method chosen should beappropriate for the size of the area being searched and the typeof well being located. Some well types and constructionmaterials may preclude their detection by any of the methodsdescribed.1.3 This guide of
7、fers an organized collection of informationor series of options and does not recommend a specific courseof action. This guide cannot replace education and experienceand should be used in conjunction with professional judgment.1.4 This guide does not purport to address all aspects ofexploration and s
8、ite safety. It is the responsibility of the user ofthis guide to establish appropriate safety and health practicesand determine the applicability of regulatory limitations beforeits use.1.5 This guide offers an organized collection of informationor a series of options and does not recommend a specif
9、ic courseof action. This document cannot replace education or experi-ence and should be used in conjunction with professionaljudgment. Not all aspects of this guide may be applicable in allcircumstances. This ASTM standard is not intended to repre-sent or replace the standard of care by which the ad
10、equacy ofa given professional services must be judged nor should thisdocument be applied without consideration of a projects manyunique aspects. The word Standard in the title of this documentmeans only that the document has been approved through theASTM consensus process.2. Referenced Documents2.1
11、ASTM Standards:2D653 Terminology Relating to Soil, Rock, and ContainedFluidsD5092 Practice for Design and Installation of Ground WaterMonitoring WellsD5299 Guide for Decommissioning of Groundwater Wells,Vadose Zone Monitoring Devices, Boreholes, and OtherDevices for Environmental Activities3. Termin
12、ology3.1 DefinitionsFor definitions of common technical termsin this standard, refer to Terminology D653.4. Significance and Use4.1 Millions of oil and gas wells, water supply wells, andwells installed for environmental monitoring and remediation1This guide is under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee
13、 D18 on Soil and Rockand is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D18.21 on Groundwater andVadose Zone Investigations.Current edition approved Feb. 15, 2012. Published December 2012. Originallyapproved in 1998. Last previous edition approved in 2005 as D6285 99(2005).DOI: 10.1520/D6285-99R12E1.2
14、For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org. For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information, refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C7
15、00, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United States1purposes, have been abandoned. The need to determine thelocations of these abandoned wells is based on safety andthreats to the environment. Improperly constructed or aban-doned wells may pose a safety threat to humans and animals,may be sources of
16、 brines and other undesirable fluids comingto the surface, may be conduits for transport of contaminationfrom the surface to the substrate, or may cross-contaminatewater-bearing zones in the subsurface. All states do not requiredocumentation of the abandonment of wells and may not havespecific requi
17、rements for abandonment procedures.5. Methods for Locating Abandoned Wells WhoseLocations Have Been Recorded, Observed, or Markedat the Surface5.1 Records SearchInformation regarding the potentiallocation, type, age, method of abandonment, and other perti-nent information about wells often can be de
18、termined by athorough review of local, state, or federal records. Manygovernmental agencies have reporting requirements for boththe installation and abandonment of all types of wells.Typically, oil and gas wells are controlled by separate agenciesfrom water and environmental wells. With the recent p
19、rolifera-tion of environmental studies, the number of agencies that maymaintain these records has increased.5.2 Local AgenciesLocal (city and county) agencies typi-cally retain records of oil and gas leasing agreements, taxrecords, plat maps, property ownership maps, and other relatedinformation. In
20、formation on municipal wells often is retainedin local courthouses.5.3 State or Regional AgenciesMost states or regions haveseveral agencies that maintain records of drilled wells. Somemaintain sophisticated computer databases, others maintainpaper records. Location information also varies by jurisd
21、ictionand can be by township, range and section, state planecoordinate system, UTM coordinates, or latitude and longitude.Drilling logs, installation diagrams, production records, me-chanical integrity testing reports, and other information oftenare available. Injection wells information typically a
22、lso isavailable.5.3.1 A starting place for well record information is aGeological Survey agency. If they do not maintain wellrecords, they typically can provide direction to the properagency.5.3.2 Water well records are required in most jurisdictions.The sophistication of record keeping and location
23、 detail isvariable. Health agencies often maintain records for publicwater supply wells.5.3.3 Within the areas that produce oil and gas, a specificagency usually has been given the responsibility for maintain-ing well information.5.4 Environmental monitoring wells have become moreprolific within the
24、 last decade. Agencies typically requiredocumentation of the installation of these wells.5.4.1 Refer to Practice D5092 as it lists the minimumamount of information required for documentation of eachinstallation. Guide D5299 lists information required to docu-ment the abandonment of wells.5.5 Intervi
25、ewsConversations or interviews with localproperty owners, longtime residents, and drilling contractorsoften provide information about the locations of abandonedwells. Property owners often can identify specific well loca-tions. Drilling contractors often maintain internal records ofwell locations. A
26、 careful explanation of the need for locatingcertain wells is necessary sometimes to obtain access to theseproprietary data. The initial purpose for conducting the inter-view should dictate the type and format of interview documen-tation.5.6 ReconnaissanceActual site visits may identify thelocations
27、 of abandoned wells whose surface locations havebeen marked or whose installation or abandonment have leftsoil disturbances that are identifiable as well-related.6. Airborne and Space-Based Photographic and OtherMethods for Locating Abandoned Wells WhoseLocations Are Unknown6.1 Aerial PhotographsAer
28、ial photographs may be usedto detect the surface disturbance associated with well drillingactivities or the actual surface equipment. Historical photo-graphs may document the actual drilling of now-abandonedwells. Aerial photographs may be available at many differentscales and from many different so
29、urces.6.1.1 The larger the scale of the aerial photograph, the easierit is to identify features. Photographs usually are available at alow cost. Photographs, however, may not be available for agiven area or may not be at an appropriate scale. Interpretationof the photographs should be performed by t
30、rained personnel.6.1.2 Sources of Aerial and Satellite PhotographsManylocal and state or regional governmental agencies have ar-chives of aerial photographs of their area of jurisdiction. Inaddition, a review of the local telephone directory listing ofcompanies that provide aerial photographic servi
31、ces mayprovide sources of aerial and satellite photographs.6.2 Other Remotely Sensed DataSurface disturbances,associated either with the original well installation or withleaking fluids from an improperly abandoned well, may bedetectable using various remotely sensed data. These datainclude, but are
32、 not limited to spectral, radar, and color infrareddata acquired by satellite or aircraft. Spectral imagery may beused to detect vegetative stress resulting from either drillingactivities or from the presence of saline or contaminated waterleaking from an abandoned well. Thermal infrared imagerymay
33、be used to detect temperature anomalies resulting from thepresence of metal casing. Spectral, color infrared, and radarimagery also may be used in textural analysis to deduce surfacedisturbances that may have resulted from drilling and wellinstallation activities.6.2.1 Most of these data are availab
34、le only in digital format.Appropriate computer hardware and software, as well aspersonnel trained in image processing, may be necessary to usethese data. Relative costs per unit aerial coverage for dataacquisition and processing may be high for small search areasbut low for large search areas. Groun
35、d verification of wells isnecessary.D6285 99 (2012)127. Geophysical Methods for Locating Abandoned WellsWhose Locations Are Unknown7.1 In general, metal detectors and magnetometers can beused to detect metallic wells casing at various depths. Electro-magnetic and resistivity methods can be used to d
36、etect bothmetallic well casings and fluids leaking from abandoned wells.Ground penetrating radar may be used to locate uncased wellsor wells with nonmetallic casings.7.2 Metal DetectorsMetallic well casings (ferrous or non-ferrous) can be detected using portable metal detectors. Theresponse of a met
37、al detector us proportional to the area of ametal target. The larger of diameter of the buried casing, theeasier it is to detect. Response also is inversely proportional tothe depth of the target. The coil of the metal detector must passdirectly over the buried casing in order for the casing to bede
38、tected, therefore, a closely spaced survey grid is necessary.Depth of detection for these metal detectors is usually 1 to 3 ft.Equipment usually is inexpensive and little training is requiredto operate it.7.2.1 A special type of time domain electromagnetic sensorthat uses relatively small loop trans
39、mitters functions as a metaldetector with a greater depth of investigation and the ability todetect larger objects than convectional metal detectors.7.3 MagnetometersFerrous metal well casings can bedetected by a magnetometer survey. The response of a magne-tometer is proportional to the mass of the
40、 target and is inverselyproportional to the targets depth. A magnetometer may detecta buried casing that is off the side of a survey line and maydetect a casing that has been cut off below the surface.NOTE 1The magnometer dose not have to pass directly over the targetas in the case of a metal detect
41、or.Depth of detection using a magnetometer is much greaterthan for any other method described. Large diameter deep wellcasings, such as those used in the oil and gas industry,commonly are detected by airborne magnetometer surveys.Equipment is easy to use.7.3.1 Surface magnetometer surveys can be use
42、d to detectwells that contain ferrous metal casing at or near the surface.7.3.2 A downhole (borehole) magnetometer may be usedwhen the upper portion of the casing in an abandoned well isat a depth greater than the resolution of a surface survey, andthere is an opening in which to lower the probe.7.3
43、.3 Airborne magnetometer surveys are used for generalreconnaissance of an area. This method works best to locatelarge diameter wells, These surveys require ground verificationof detected anomalies. They usually are more expensive thanground-based surveys.7.3.4 Sources of Airborne Magnetic Survey7.4
44、Electromagnetic MethodsMagnetic anomalies causedby the presence of conductive materials at the surface and inthe shallow subsurface may be detected at the surface, fromboreholes in the subsurface, or sometimes from the air. Thesemethods may be used to detect either metallic casing or salinewater ass
45、ociated with a leaking abandoned well. Measuredanomalies may be small, and there may be interference fromcultural sources of electromagnetic energy. Also, surveys mayrequire close line spacings. Electromagnetic methods includeboth frequency and time domain methods, which requireinterpretation by tra
46、ined personnel.7.4.1 Frequency domain electromagnetic methods (conduc-tivity surveys), measure the connectivity of subsurface mate-rials by using a transmitter coil to generate an electromagneticfield that induces an electrical current in the earth. The inducedcurrent generates a secondary electroma
47、gnetic field that can bedetected by a receiver coil. The magnitude of the inducedcurrent is a function of the composition and porosity of the soiland the conductivity of pore fluids. Since metallic well casingusually is more conductive than the surrounding soil, itspresence may be detected by this m
48、ethod. Saline fluids leakingfrom abandoned wells often are more conductive than sur-rounding materials and may be detectable. Direct contact withthe soil is not required for this method, and as a result, surveytimes may be rapid. Conductivity surveys should be conductedand interpreted by trained per
49、sonnel.7.4.2 Time domain electromagnetic methods are based onthe principle that currents induced in the ground decay rapidly,producing a secondary magnetic field proportional to theconductivity of the subsurface material. By measuring the timedecay of the secondary magnetic field as the induced currentdiffuses downward, a vertical electrical profile of the subsur-face can be obtained. Depth of measurement depends on theprimary (induced) field strength and range from a few metersto more than a kilometer. This method is useful especially fordetecting conductive flui
