Statoil starts Skinfaks/Rimfaks production
Production from Statoil’s Skinfaks/Rimfaks project in the North Sea began on Jan. 27 with first oil coming from Rimfaks improved oil recovery (IOR). In addition to IOR at Rimfaks, the project also marks the start of Skinfaks field production. All wells will be onstream in the autumn of 2007, with the combined output of the fields representing 12% of the total Gullfaks license output.
“By combining Skinfaks development with several Rimfaks wells, we’ve achieved an economic development of two satellites which individually would have been marginal,” says Lars Christian Bacher, senior vice president for the Tampen business cluster.
“The development is an important measure for increasing oil recovery in the area. The project secures good exploitation of the Gullfaks area infrastructure, with small investments,” Bacher says.
When all project wells are completed, Rimfaks IOR and Skinfaks production will represent around 35% of the Gullfaks license’s oil production via the Gullfaks C platform.
The Skinfaks field plan for development and operation (PDO) and the revised PDO for the Rimfaks field were approved in February 2005. Investments on the order of $544 million have been made for the two fields.
Recoverable reserves are estimated at 62 MMboe. The recovery ratio for Rimfaks will increase by 36-47% with Skinfaks/Rimfaks IOR.
Skinfaks, which was proven in 2002, comprises several small structures. The field was developed with a subsea production system tied in to existing christmas trees on the Gullfaks South satellite field.
Production from Rimfaks began in June 2000. The field was developed as a satellite with the wellstream tied back to the Gullfaks A platform. Field recovery now will be increased using several wells via tieback to the Gullfaks C platform.
Statoil operates the Gullfaks license with a 61% share. Other licensees are Petoro with 30% interest and Hydro with 9%.
Intelligent completion system
Anadarko Petroleum Corp. recently completed an intelligent well in 8,100 ft (2,469 m) of water in its Spiderman field of the Independence Subsea, a development in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, using Baker Oil Tools’ InForce intelligent completion system. The completion assembly is 28.35 m (93 ft) long, with six control lines in place. The team provided over 18 months of upfront planning, involving packer design as well as technical support in designing and implementing lifting and transportation devices. Anadarko’s partners in the well include Dominion Exploration & Production and Hydro Gulf of Mexico Llc.
Intelligent Well System bottomhole assembly being lifted (28 m [93 ft] long).
The completion system comprised several crucial components, including the InForce system with HCM+ shrouded and non-shrouded sleeve, the Premier packer with feed-through, splice sub and a pressure-testable quick connect, and the Neptune surface-controlled subsurface safety valve.
The completion assembly was made up of six control lines that were terminated and tested on the riser skate prior to lifting.
Baker says this technique saved 12 to 14 hours of rig time. In addition, the preplanning allowed for pre-assembling and testing in controlled shop conditions, resulting in improved reliability and assembly integrity, as well as reduced risk.
Roxar to supply downhole monitoring equipment
Roxar will supply 43 dual downhole gauge systems (Permanent Downhole Monitoring Systems) to a Middle Eastern operator. The downhole HM gauge, which transmits digitized pressure and temperature data to the surface, is scheduled for delivery by October 2007. It is a key component of the PDMS.
The PDMS equipment provides around-the-clock access to downhole information, such as reservoir pressure and temperature, from any office location, improving reservoir management, well planning and resource exploitation.
The system is usable for onshore, offshore and subsea wells and is deployed in production, injection and observation wells as well as in conjunction with the instrumentation of complex multi-zone intelligent wells. BP, Hydro, Statoil, and Total have used this equipment.
PathFinder provides LWD measurements
PathFinder has provided LWD measurements as a wireline replacement service in a 7 1⁄2-in. borehole for Chevron in the Gulf of Mexico. PathFinder’s slim density neutron standoff caliper service (SDNSC) was included as part of a 4 3⁄4-in. slim triple combo multi-service tool string, featuring PathFinder SDNSC, directional, gamma ray, and resistivity tools.
The well was drilled vertical to a kick-off point then built at an angle to 19° in a potentially high vibration drilling environment, with constant, real-time annular pressure service from the dynamic pressure module tool. The steerable-reaming-while-drilling (SRWD) technology was used along with the slim triple combo tool to acquire, process, and displayed in real-time, defining mineralogy, lithology, and formation fluid type and volume. Density and neutron porosity measurements were acquired and environmentally corrected.
Real-time gamma ray formation evaluation data was provided 11 in. from the bit with at-bit PZIG gamma ray tool. The SDNSC measurements, together with the at-bit payzone inclination and gamma ray, and resistivity data were adequate so another service run was not required, thus providing Chevron a cost savings.
The SNDSC tool was determined to be accurate, reliable, and versatile LWD tool. This is industry’s only neutron porosity tool that takes measurements from three separate detectors for density and neutron log requirements. The tool uses dynamic standoff-based processing which virtually eliminate standoff effects on density and neutron measurements. A patented formation porosity estimation technique including water measurement analysis for the neutron measurement reduces borehole effects. The tool is the first to use Californium-252 source for an LWD neutron porosity measurement. It is more environmentally friendly than other chemical sources.
Particle drilling completes trial
Houston-based Particle Drilling Technologies says it successfully drilled 36.58 m (120 ft) of hole with its particle impact drilling (PID) technique. As a result of the trial, the company won a one-year drilling contract with an undisclosed client.
“With the completion of this trial, we have achieved continuously improved results on a well-to-well basis and thereby demonstrated that the technology works as designed,” says John Terry, president and chief executive of PDTI.
“The fact that we were able to complete the longest footage run to-date while operating for the first time on a rig that was both new to the area and to PID operations, and that we did so in harsh weather conditions, is a credit to our rig-site team and to the improvements made to the PID system over the course of these trials.”
During the 12-hour trial, eight hours of actual drilling time was achieved, related to the breakdown of surface equipment, the company said.
