RE: Numbers3 Mar 2021 08:10
My understanding from an old Radio 4 interview was that Rukwa was drilled in the '50s or '60s by BP (I think) for exploration of hydrocarbons, as it looked like a likely location for a large gas deposit. The results showed that only a small amount of hydrocarbons were present and that the bulk of the reservoir was nitrogen, with an unusually large proportion of Helium. At the time Helium was of limited value and so the engineering team packed up and left. 70 years later we have invented load of applications for Helium (MRI scanners, particle accelerators, etc - I'm sure you all know the list). The data from that original drill was available for review by the HE1 founders which must have given them comfort that sufficient Helium gas was present back then such that surface seepage is unlikely to be a material issue today. Time will tell on that one I suppose but the geologists appear confident.
I'm no expert but the seepage rate question has crossed my mind too. My (very limited) understanding of surface seepage is that it is no cause for concern with regards to depleting the reservoir. The seepage is more of a diffusion process than an uninterrupted route to the atmosphere and provides a fingerprint of the presence of Helium. As the seepage diffuses in this way it will be detected across a large surface are, which is why seismic is required to pinpoint an optimised drilling location (or three in HE1's case).
One question that I would like to know is what happened to the original well? Was it plugged? If not, could it be used in any way today? Regardless, I'm looking forward to Q2 where all will be revealed!
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