Glossary

Blowout

bloh-out

noun

Definition

Blowouts are extremely dangerous incidents of crude oil or natural gas forcibly escaping the borehole. Occurring after pressure control systems have failed, oil and gas can shoot from the surface to heights of 200 feet or more. An accidental spark during blowouts can produce an uncontrollable oil or gas fire. Before Blowout Preventers and other safety measures were widely available, Blowouts were much more common. Safety procedures in the Oil & Gas extraction industry have come a long way, making Blowouts a rare event today.

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