§ 3179.204 - Downhole well maintenance and liquids unloading.

§ 3179.204 Downhole well maintenance and liquids unloading.

(a) The operator must minimize vented gas and the need for well venting associated with downhole well maintenance and liquids unloading, consistent with safe operations.

(b) For wells equipped with a plunger lift system and/or an automated well control system, minimizing gas venting under paragraph (a) includes optimizing the operation of the system to minimize gas losses to the extent possible consistent with removing liquids that would inhibit proper function of the well.

(c) Before the operator manually purges a well for liquids unloading for the first time after the effective date of this section, the operator must consider other methods for liquids unloading and determine that they are technically infeasible or unduly costly. The operator must provide information supporting that determination as part of the Sundry Notice required under paragraph (e) of this section.

(d) For any liquids unloading by manual well purging, the operator must:

(1) Ensure that the person conducting the well purging remains present on-site throughout the event to minimize to the maximum extent practicable any venting to the atmosphere;

(2) Record the cause, date, time, duration, and estimated volume of each venting event; and

(3) Maintain the records for the period required under § 3162.4-1 of this title and make them available to the BLM, upon request.

(e) The operator must notify the BLM by Sundry Notice within 30 calendar days after the first liquids unloading event by manual or automated well purging conducted after the effective date of this section. This requirement applies to each well the operator operates.

(f) The operator must notify the BLM by Sundry Notice, within 30 calendar days, if:

(1) The cumulative duration of manual well purging events for a well exceeds 24 hours during any production month; or

(2) The estimated volume of gas vented in liquids unloading by manual well purging operations for a well exceeds 75 Mcf during any production month.

(g) For purposes of this section, “well purging” means blowing accumulated liquids out of a wellbore by reservoir gas pressure, whether manually or by an automatic control system that relies on real-time pressure or flow, timers, or other well data, where the gas is vented to the atmosphere, and it does not apply to wells equipped with a plunger lift system.

(h) Total estimated volumes vented as a result of downhole well maintenance and liquids unloading, including through the operation of plunger lifts and automated well controls, during the production month must be included in volumes reported to ONRR as vented.

(i) The operator must comply with this section beginning January 17, 2019.

[81 FR 83078, Nov. 18, 2016, as amended at 82 FR 58073, Dec. 8, 2017]