Soviet nuclear well collapses
Encyclopedia
During the 1960s, the Soviet Union
developed and employed buried nuclear weapon
s to collapse wells which were leaking valuable natural gas
.
These blasts were all used to contain surface leaks, and were dug deep (18,000 feet) such as to fully contain the blast. Leaks had been caused by failures of well-containment equipment, and were seeping millions of cubic meters of gas a day.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
developed and employed buried nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s to collapse wells which were leaking valuable natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
.
These blasts were all used to contain surface leaks, and were dug deep (18,000 feet) such as to fully contain the blast. Leaks had been caused by failures of well-containment equipment, and were seeping millions of cubic meters of gas a day.