Live Well

A live wellbore in Oil & Gas operations refers to a wellbore that is actively flowing, or has the potential to flow, under its own pressure. This means the formation pressure may be greater than the hydrostatic pressure of the fluid column in the wellbore, which could lead to an uncontrolled release of fluids. In geothermal wells, a well may become “live” not only due to high formation pressure but also from high temperatures. For example, a decrease in hydrostatic pressure May cause superheated water to flash into steam, which rapidly expands and May induce a thermal kick or blowout, making the well “live”.