re: Lawmakers rush to stop 'catastrophic-level event' at Texas oil fields

quote:

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Saltwater is a byproduct of the production phase and what is commonly injected in saltwater disposal wells. Drilling muds are reused many times over and as far as I know never injected in disposal wells.

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Correct. The only thing that will come into contact with most of the formations is the drilling mud when drilling the wells, which makes the filter cake as you stated. Whether the well is for production or injection/disposal, the produced water should, by design, never come into contact with a formation that it could dissolve. If it happens while drilling, that would likely be a kick, which could lead to a blowout if not handled properly. Otherwise, for an injection/disposal well, it would be designed to inject into a formation that is compatible with the produced water.