OIL WELL FIRE CONTROL AND RESERVOIR PRESSURES

File: cia_70556_70555_01.txt
Page: 01
Total Pages: 2
Subject: OIL WELL FIRE CONTROL AND RESERVOIR PRESSURES  
Not Finally Evaluated Intelligence 
 
TO FACILITATE ELECTRONIC ACCESS, THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN 
REFORMATTED TO ELIMINATE INFORMATION THAT DOES NOT PERTAIN 
TO GULF WAR ILLNESS ISSUES OR THAT IS CLASSIFIED. A COPY OF 
THIS REDACTED DOCUMENT, IN ORIGINAL FORMAT, IS AVAILABLE ON 
REQUEST. 
 
CITE CIA 925441 
 
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY  
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NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE 
  
 
OCTOBER 1991 
 
COUNTRY: KUWAIT 
 
SUBJ: STATUS OF OIL WELL FIRE CONTROL AND RESERVOIR 
PRESSURES IN KUWAITI OIL FIELDS 
 
TEXT: 1. AS OF THE END OF SEPTEMBER 1991,   OVER 450 OIL 
WELL FIRES HAVE BEEN EXTINGUISHED IN KUWAIT, AND BARRING 
UNFORESEEN DEVELOPMENTS, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE REMAINING 
300 PLUS FIRES WILL BE EXTINGUISHED BY THE END OF 1991. ON 
26 SEPTEMBER ALONE, ELEVEN OIL WELL FIRES WERE EXTINGUISHED 
IN A SINGLE DAY AS THE RESULT OF COORDINATED EFFORTS By FIRE 
FIGHTING TEAMS FROM SEVERAL NATIONS WORKING IN KUWAIT. 
 
2. OIL EXPERTS HAVE EXPRESSED SOME BEWILDERMENT OVER THE 
CONDITION OF OIL WELLS RECENTLY EXTINGUISHED IN THE AL-
AHMADI AND BURGAN FIELDS. ORIGINALLY, THE PRESENCE   OF 
WHITE SMOKE IN THE PLUMES WAS THOUGHT TO INDICATE THAT THE 
OIL RESERVOIRS HAD BEEN DEGRADED By THE PRESENCE OF WATER 
AND THAT LONG TERM DEPLETION IN THE RESERVOIR 
HAD OCCURRED.  AFTER MANY OF THE FIRES IN THE BURGAN AND AL-
AHMADI FIELDS HAD BEEN EXTINGUISHED, TESTS OF THE RESERVOIRS 
INDICATED NO CONTINUING PRESENCE OF WATER OR.  DECREASE IN 
OIL PRESSURE.  PRESSURE TEST HAVE REVEALED THAT BOTTOM HOLE 
PRESSURE IS AT THE SAME LEVEL OR FIVE PSI HIGHER THAN THE   
BOTTOM HOLE PRESSURE LAST RECORDED EXPERTS HAVE CONCLUDED 
THAT THERE HAS BEEN NO SIGNIFICANT DEPLETION OF THE OIL 
RESERVES IN THESE FIELDS AND THAT THE PRESENT PRESSURE AND 
VOLUME OF FLOW IS NOW GREATER THAN IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO THE 
IRAQI INVASION.  EXPERTS ARE AT A LOSS TO EXPLAIN THIS 
PHENOMENON.