Were the Old Halo globular clusters able to sustain a self-enrichment phase?

It has been argued for a long time that the self-enrichment process could n ot occur within proto-globular clouds because of the supernova energetics. We revisit this argument and demonstrate that it may not be true. Since not all the kinetic energy of Type TT Supernovae is deposited as kinetic energ y of the ISM, we suggest comparing the binding energy of the progenitor clo ud to the kinetic energy of the ISM instead of the kinetic energy of the Ty pe TI Supernova ejecta. This criterion is used to study the disruptive abil ity of Type II Supernovae onto proto-globular clouds. It is found that the early chemical history of globular clusters is greatly influenced by the pr essure exerted by the external medium on their progenitor clouds. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.