Abstract
In June, 1981, Apache Corporation of Minneapolis completed the Key No. 1-11 in the Upper Morrow at 16,000 feet in Eastern Wheeler County of the Texas Panhandle. The Key No. 1-11 was one of the best Morrow wells ever drilled in the Anadarko Basin having 90 feet of porosity in excess of 20 percent with an original COFP of 90 MMSCFPD. On Sunday afternoon, October 4, 1981, after being shut-in for 78 days waiting on pipeline connection, the Key No. 1-11 inexplicable erupted, blowing the wellhead, 80 feet of 2-7/8" tubing, 80 feet of 7-5/8" casing, and 12 feet of 10-3/4" casing from the well. The Key was destined to be referred to as the biggest blowout in Texas history and to become a first in many areas before it was finally killed on February 8, 1983, when the Key No. 3 relief well intercepted the 5" liner in the Key No. 1-11 blowout at 15,941 feet TVD. The expeditious intercept was made possible by extensive study and preplanning, the assistance of interested individuals within the industry, the dedication and determination of Apache management, and diligent study of all techniques used for determining the location of one well bore from another including Passive Magnetic Analysis, Ultra Long Spaced Electro Log Analysis and Active Magnetic Analysis (ELREC). This is the story of the incredible intercept, the deepest ever made in the history of the industry.
