Louisiana Administrative Code › Title 43 - NATURAL RESOURCES › Part XVII - Office of Conservation-Injection and Mining › Subpart 3 - Statewide Order No. 29-M › Chapter 3 - Hydrocarbon Storage Wells in Salt Dome Cavities › Section XVII-301 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, June 20, 2024
Act-
part I, chapter 1 of title 30 of the
Louisiana Revised Statutes
.
Active Cavern Well
-a storage well or
					 cavern that is actively being used or capable of being used to store liquid,
					 liquefied, or gaseous hydrocarbons, including standby wells. The term does not
					 include an inactive cavern well.
Application
-the filing on the appropriate
					 Office of Conservation form(s), including any additions, revisions,
					 modifications, or required attachments to the form(s), for a permit to operate
					 a hydrocarbon storage well or parts thereof.
Aquifer
-a geologic formation, groups of
					 formations, or part of a formation that is capable of yielding a significant
					 amount of water to a well or spring.
Blanket Material
-sometimes referred to as
					 a "pad." The blanket material is a fluid or gas placed within a cavern that is
					 lighter than the water in the cavern and will not dissolve the salt or any
					 mineral impurities that may be contained within the salt. The function of the
					 blanket is to prevent unwanted leaching of the cavern roof, prevent leaching of
					 salt from around the cemented casing, and to protect the cemented casing from
					 internal corrosion. Blanket material typically consists of crude oil, diesel,
					 mineral oil, or some fluid or gas possessing similar noncorrosive, non-solvent,
					 low-density properties. The blanket material is placed against the cavern roof,
					 within the cavern neck, and between the cavern's outermost hanging string and
					 innermost cemented casing.
Brine
-water within a salt cavern that is
					 saturated partially or completely with salt.
Cap Rock-
the porous and permeable strata
					 immediately overlying all or part of the salt stock of some salt structures
					 typically composed of anhydrite, gypsum, limestone, and occasionally
					 sulfur.
Casing
-metallic pipe placed and cemented
					 in the wellbore for the purpose of supporting the sides of the wellbore and to
					 act as a barrier preventing subsurface migration of fluids out of or into the
					 wellbore.
Catastrophic Collapse
-the sudden failure
					 of the overlying strata caused by the removal or otherwise weakening of
					 underlying sediments.
Cavern Neck
-the uncased wellbore between
					 the deepest casing shoe and the cavern roof, if present.
Cavern Roof-
the uppermost part of a cavern
					 being just below the neck of the wellbore. The shape of the salt cavern roof
					 may be flat or domed.
Cavern Well
-a well extending into the salt
					 stock to facilitate the injection and withdrawal of fluids into and from a salt
					 cavern.
Cementing
-the operation (either primary,
					 secondary, or squeeze) whereby a cement slurry is pumped into a drilled hole
					 and/or forced behind the casing.
Circulate to the Surface
-the observing of
					 actual cement returns to the surface during the primary cementing
					 operation.
Closed Cavern Well-
a storage well or
					 cavern that is no longer used or capable of being used to store liquid,
					 liquefied, or gaseous hydrocarbons and is thus subject to the closure and
					 post-closure requirements of
					 §337 The term
					 does not include an inactive well or a previously closed well.
Commissioner
-the commissioner of
					 conservation for the state of Louisiana.
Contamination
-the introduction of
					 substances or contaminants into a groundwater aquifer, a USDW or soil in such
					 quantities as to render them unusable for their intended purposes.
Discharge
-the placing, releasing,
					 spilling, percolating, draining, pumping, leaking, mixing, migrating, seeping,
					 emitting, disposing, by-passing, or other escaping of pollutants on or into the
					 air, ground, or waters of the state. A discharge shall not include that which
					 is allowed through a federal or state permit.
Effective Date
-the date of final
					 promulgation of these rules and regulations.
Emergency Shutdown Valve
-for the purposes
					 of these rules, a valve that automatically closes to isolate a salt cavern well
					 from surface piping in the event of a specified condition that, if
					 uncontrolled, may cause an emergency.
Exempted Aquifer
-an aquifer or its portion
					 that meets the criteria of the definition of underground source of drinking
					 water but which has been exempted according to the procedures set forth in
					 §303.E 2
Existing Cavern Well or Storage Project
-a
					 well, salt cavern, or project permitted to store liquid, liquefied, or gaseous
					 hydrocarbons before the effective date of these regulations.
Facility or Activity
-any facility or
					 activity, including land or appurtenances thereto, that is subject to these
					 regulations.
Fluid
-any material or substance that flows
					 or moves whether in a semisolid, liquid, sludge, gas or any other form or
					 state.
Ground Subsidence
-the downward settling of
					 the earth's surface with little or no horizontal motion in response to natural
					 or manmade subsurface actions.
Groundwater Aquifer
-water in the saturated
					 zone beneath the land surface that contains less than 10,000 mg/l total
					 dissolved solids.
Groundwater Contamination
-the degradation
					 of naturally occurring groundwater quality either directly or indirectly as a
					 result of human activities.
Hanging String
-casing whose weight is
					 supported at the wellhead and hangs vertically in a larger cemented casing or
					 another larger hanging string.
Hydrocarbon Storage Cavern
-a salt cavern
					 created within the salt stock by solution-mining and used to store liquid,
					 liquefied, or gaseous hydrocarbons.
Improved Sinkhole
-a naturally occurring
					 karst depression or other natural crevice found in volcanic terrain and other
					 geologic settings which have been modified by man for the purpose of directing
					 and emplacing fluids into the subsurface.
Inactive Cavern Well
-a storage well or
					 cavern that is capable of being used to store liquid, liquefied, or gaseous
					 hydrocarbons but is not being so used, as evidenced by the filing of a written
					 notice with the Office of Conservation in accordance with
					 §309.I.3 and
					 §331
Injection and Mining Division
-the
					 Injection and Mining Division of the Louisiana Office of Conservation within
					 the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources.
Injection Well
-a well into which fluids
					 are injected, excepting fluids associated with active drilling
					 operations.
Injection Zone
-a geological formation,
					 group of formations or part of a formation receiving fluids through an
					 injection well.
Leaching
-the process of introducing an
					 under-saturated fluid into a salt cavern thereby dissolving additional salt and
					 increasing the volume of the salt cavern.
Mechanical Integrity
-an injection well has
					 mechanical integrity if there is no significant leak in the casing, tubing, or
					 packer and there is no significant fluid movement into an underground source of
					 drinking water through vertical channels adjacent to the injection well
					 bore.
Mechanical Integrity Pressure and Leak
					 Test
(also called
Mechanical Integrity Test
)-a test
					 performed to determine whether a cavern or well has mechanical
					 integrity.
Migrating
-any movement of fluids by
					 leaching, spilling, discharging, or any other uncontained or uncontrolled
					 manner, except as allowed by law, regulation, or permit.
New Cavern Well
-a storage well or cavern
					 permitted by the Office of Conservation after the effective date of these
					 regulations.
Office of Conservation
-the Louisiana
					 Office of Conservation within the Department of Natural Resources.
Open Borehole
-the portion of the drilled
					 well bore that is uncased at any point in time.
Operator
-the person recognized by the
					 Office of Conservation as being responsible for the physical operation of the
					 facility or activity subject to regulatory authority under these rules and
					 regulations.
Owner
-the person recognized by the Office
					 of Conservation as owning the facility or activity subject to regulatory
					 authority under these rules and regulations.
Permit
-an authorization, license, or
					 equivalent control document issued by the commissioner to implement the
					 requirements of these regulations. Permit includes, but is not limited to, area
					 permits and emergency permits. Permit does not include UIC authorization by
					 rule or any permit which has not yet been the subject of final agency action,
					 such as a draft permit.
Person
-an individual, association,
					 partnership, public or private corporation, firm, municipality, state or
					 federal agency and any agent or employee thereof, or any other juridical
					 person.
Post-Closure Care
-the appropriate
					 monitoring and other actions (including corrective action) needed following
					 cessation of a storage project to ensure that USDWs are not endangered.
Previously Closed Cavern Well-
a storage
					 well or cavern that is no longer used or capable of being used to store liquid,
					 liquefied, or gaseous hydrocarbons and was closed prior to the effective date
					 of these regulations.
Produced Water
-liquids and suspended
					 particulate matter that is obtained by processing fluids brought to the surface
					 in conjunction with the recovery of oil and gas from underground geologic
					 formations, with underground storage of hydrocarbons, or with solution mining
					 for brine.
Project
-a group of wells or salt caverns
					 used in a single operation.
Public Water System
-a system for the
					 provision to the public of piped water for human consumption, if such system
					 has at least 15 service connections or regularly serves at least 25
					 individuals. Such term includes:
1. any collection, treatment, storage, and distribution
					 facilities under control of the operator of such system and used primarily in
					 connection with such system; and
2. any collection or pretreatment storage facilities not
					 under such control which are used primarily in connection with such system.
Qualified Professional Appraiser
-for the
					 purposes of these rules, any licensed real estate appraiser holding current
					 certification from the Louisiana Real Estate Appraisers Board and functioning
					 within the rules and regulations of their licensure.
Release
-the accidental or intentional
					 spilling, pumping, leaking, pouring, emitting, leaching, escaping, or dumping
					 of pollutants into or on any air, land, groundwater, or waters of the state. A
					 release shall not include that which is allowed through a federal or state
					 permit.
Salt Dome
-a diapiric, typically circular
					 structure that penetrates, uplifts, and deforms overlying sediments as a result
					 of the upward movement of a salt stock in the subsurface. Collectively, the
					 salt dome includes the salt stock and any overlying uplifted sediments.
Salt Stock
-a typically cylindrical
					 formation composed chiefly of an evaporite mineral that forms the core of a
					 salt dome. The most common form of the evaporite mineral is halite known
					 chemically as sodium chloride (NaCl). Cap rock shall not be considered a part
					 of the salt stock.
Schedule of Compliance
-a schedule or
					 remedial measures included in a permit, including an enforceable sequence of
					 interim requirements (for example, actions, operations, or milestone events)
					 leading to compliance with the act and these regulations.
Site
-the land or water area where any
					 facility or activity is physically located or conducted including adjacent land
					 used in connection with the facility or activity.
Solution-Mined Salt Cavern
-a cavity or
					 cavern created within the salt stock by dissolution with water.
Solution Mining Under Gas (SMUG)-
a
					 technique allowing the storage of product while simultaneously solution mining
					 the cavern for the purpose of cavern enlargement.
Solution-Mining Well
-a well which injects
					 for extraction of minerals including:
1. mining of sulfur by the Frasch process;
2. in situ production of uranium or other metals;
3. solution mining of salts or potash.
State
-the state of Louisiana.
Subsidence
-see ground subsidence.
Surface Casing
-steel pipe placed inside
					 the conductor casing in the borehole which extends below, and is protective of,
					 the USDW and other shallow geologic formations.
UIC
-the Louisiana State Underground
					 Injection Control Program.
Unauthorized Discharge
-a continuous,
					 intermittent, or one-time discharge, whether intentional or unintentional,
					 anticipated or unanticipated, from any permitted or unpermitted source which is
					 in contravention of any provision of the Louisiana Environmental Quality Act
					 (R.S. 30:2001 et seq.)
					 or of any permit or license terms and conditions, or of any applicable
					 regulation, compliance schedule, variance, or exception of the commissioner of
					 conservation.
Underground Source of Drinking Water
-an
					 aquifer or its portion:
1. which supplies any public water system; or
2. which contains a sufficient quantity of groundwater to
					 supply a public water system; and
a. currently supplies drinking water for human consumption;
					 or
b. contains fewer than 10,000 mg/1 total dissolved solids;
					 and which is not an exempted aquifer.
USDW
-see underground source of drinking
					 water.
Waters of the State
-both surface and
					 underground waters within the state of Louisiana including all rivers, streams,
					 lakes, groundwaters, and all other water courses and waters within the confines
					 of the state, and all bordering waters, and the Gulf of Mexico.
Well
-a bored, drilled, or driven shaft
					 whose depth is greater than the largest surface dimension; or, a dug hole whose
					 depth is greater than the largest surface dimension; or, a subsurface fluid
					 distribution system.
Well Plug
-a fluid-tight seal installed in
					 a borehole or well to prevent the movement of fluids.
Well Stimulation
-several processes used to
					 clean the well bore, enlarge channels, and increase pore space in the interval
					 to be injected thus making it possible for injection fluids to move more
					 readily into the formation, and includes such actions as:
1. surging;
2. jetting;
3. blasting;
4. acidizing;
5. hydraulic fracturing.
Workover
-to perform one or more of a
					 variety of remedial operations on an injection well, such as cleaning,
					 perforation, changing tubing, deepening, squeezing, plugging back, etc.
AUTHORITY
					 NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with
					 R.S.
					 30:4 et seq.