<blockquote>
<p>In the process of drilling holes in the ground, if water was introduced, could it reach equilibrium vapor pressure, flash to steam and expel drill bit, drilling rod, and other debris up and out of the opening at potentially very high velocities?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>No!</p>
<p>Depending on the type of hole being drilling and its length, water can sometimes be added during the drilling process to suppress dust produced when drilling rock. Also, the impact forces for hammering action drill bits are not enough to suddenly turn any water in the drill hole into steam that will catastrophically destroy the drill rig and associated equipment. Also, not all drill rigs use a hammering (percussive) action when drilling holes. Some use just a percussive action, others both a percussive and rotary action, while other use just a rotary action.</p>
<p>Catastrophic destruction of a drill rig and ejection of a drill steel only occurs when a high pressure environment is encountered during the course of drilling. Gas, oil or water under pressure underground can be catastrophically destructive when the high pressure environment is pierced and the pressurized fluid is released through a narrow diameter hole.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-05-16T13:04:05.913Z
Drilling for high temperature geothermal water can result in encountering pressurized water or steam, and drillers need to take appropriate precautions to prevent and control the process if it occurs.
Andy M
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-06-02T18:47:06.107Z
Thanks Fred … it appears you are the only one so far that understood my question. As soon as it gave the temp at the bottom of this borehole, that part of me that never grew up - you know… that kid that throws rocks at large wasp nests … immediately thinks “so what happens if you shoved a firehose down the hole, turned the hydrant on full, and ranlikehell?” … and then that reminded me of the story about the missile silo imitating a cannon.
Kenneth Vaughan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-05-15T01:36:19.073Z
2022-05-15T01:36:19.073Z
Fred
<p>What is you point ? And , it is nat gas pressure primarily, although there may be a little steam. The BP accident ( ? Horizon) in the Gulf of Mexico a few years ago was a nat gas blowout. Drillers routinely go for a short course refresher with new developments on gas kicks (what you are describing). A gas kick is the nemesis of deep drilling. Pressures can exceed 25,000 psi. At that pressure ,the gas cannot be seen on seismic because it is so dense. A primary tool is measuring mud volume into the hole and mud volume out of the hole; they need to match. It is drill pipe not rod. Salt domes are usually not deep enough to have the serious pressures that can cause a blowout. Actually salt domes are usually the opposite problem; a hole is accidently made into a low pressure volume. There is always water in a gas/oil well ; steam pressure is not a problem.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-06-02T18:27:59.690Z
What’s your problem? What’s my point? 
I wasn’t making a point, I was asking a question, posing a hypothetical, and sharing some anecdotal trivia that I thought some readers might find interesting, possibly amusing, that’s all. I’m sorry if I triggered the jackinthebox by saying ‘pipe’ when I should have said ‘rod’  or ‘linear extension of axial torque transmission shaft’. Your disconnected series of assertions regarding geology and drilling technology didn’t serve to answer any question, leastwise MINE.
Kenneth Vaughan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-06-02T23:41:14.567Z
My mistake; I assumed you were interested in what caused well blow-outs.
blacksmith37
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-05-15T17:26:19.793Z
2022-05-16T00:01:10.377Z
2022-05-16T00:01:10.377Z
blacksmith37
<p>In the process of drilling holes in the ground, if water was introduced, could it reach equilibrium vapor pressure, flash to steam and expel drill bit, drilling rod, and other debris up and out of the opening at potentially very high velocities?</p>
<p>I have seen videos showing drilling rigs penetrating chambers, such as salt domes, that were highly pressurized by various gases resulting in quite violent expulsions of water, drilling mud, rock, and most frighteningly, great lengths of drilling rod and drill bit assemblies; literally tons of such material hundreds of feet into the air through the small diameter bore hole, destroying the derrick, and accompanied by a tremendous ground-shaking felt hundreds of feet in all directions,along with a roaring sound rivaling that of a rocket launch, but sometimes occurring decades before a rocket launch was even imagined.</p>

<water><geothermal-heat><drilling>
Formation of steam underground
Kenneth Vaughan
# Formation of steam underground

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-05-15)

In the process of drilling holes in the ground, if water was introduced, could it reach equilibrium vapor pressure, flash to steam and expel drill bit, drilling rod, and other debris up and out of the opening at potentially very high velocities?

I have seen videos showing drilling rigs penetrating chambers, such as salt domes, that were highly pressurized by various gases resulting in quite violent expulsions of water, drilling mud, rock, and most frighteningly, great lengths of drilling rod and drill bit assemblies; literally tons of such material hundreds of feet into the air through the small diameter bore hole, destroying the derrick, and accompanied by a tremendous ground-shaking felt hundreds of feet in all directions,along with a roaring sound rivaling that of a rocket launch, but sometimes occurring decades before a rocket launch was even imagined.

**Tags:** water, geothermal-heat, drilling


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2022-05-15. Score: 2

> In the process of drilling holes in the ground, if water was introduced, could it reach equilibrium vapor pressure, flash to steam and expel drill bit, drilling rod, and other debris up and out of the opening at potentially very high velocities?

No!

Depending on the type of hole being drilling and its length, water can sometimes be added during the drilling process to suppress dust produced when drilling rock. Also, the impact forces for hammering action drill bits are not enough to suddenly turn any water in the drill hole into steam that will catastrophically destroy the drill rig and associated equipment. Also, not all drill rigs use a hammering (percussive) action when drilling holes. Some use just a percussive action, others both a percussive and rotary action, while other use just a rotary action.

Catastrophic destruction of a drill rig and ejection of a drill steel only occurs when a high pressure environment is encountered during the course of drilling. Gas, oil or water under pressure underground can be catastrophically destructive when the high pressure environment is pierced and the pressurized fluid is released through a narrow diameter hole.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Drilling for high temperature geothermal water can result in encountering pressurized water or steam, and drillers need to take appropriate precautions to prevent and control the process if it occurs.  
> **username_0**: Thanks username_1 … it appears you are the only one so far that understood my question. As soon as it gave the temp at the bottom of this borehole, that part of me that never grew up - you know… that kid that throws rocks at large wasp nests … immediately thinks “so what happens if you shoved a firehose down the hole, turned the hydrant on full, and ranlikehell?” … and then that reminded me of the story about the missile silo imitating a cannon.  

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### Answer by username_3 on 2022-05-15. Score: 0

What is you point ? And , it is nat gas pressure primarily, although there may be a little steam. The BP accident ( ? Horizon) in the Gulf of Mexico a few years ago was a nat gas blowout. Drillers routinely go for a short course refresher with new developments on gas kicks (what you are describing). A gas kick is the nemesis of deep drilling. Pressures can exceed 25,000 psi. At that pressure ,the gas cannot be seen on seismic because it is so dense. A primary tool is measuring mud volume into the hole and mud volume out of the hole; they need to match. It is drill pipe not rod. Salt domes are usually not deep enough to have the serious pressures that can cause a blowout. Actually salt domes are usually the opposite problem; a hole is accidently made into a low pressure volume. There is always water in a gas/oil well ; steam pressure is not a problem.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: What’s your problem? What’s my point?  I wasn’t making a point, I was asking a question, posing a hypothetical, and sharing some anecdotal trivia that I thought some readers might find interesting, possibly amusing, that’s all. I’m sorry if I triggered the jackinthebox by saying ‘pipe’ when I should have said ‘rod’  or ‘linear extension of axial torque transmission shaft’. Your disconnected series of assertions regarding geology and drilling technology didn’t serve to answer any question, leastwise MINE.  
> **username_3**: My mistake; I assumed you were interested in what caused well blow-outs.  

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