Higher Recoveries and Sustained Production Following Structured Multi-Disciplinary Reviews: A Case from Offshore Nigeria

Abstract

Getting the maximum possible recovery from existing developments safely is at the heart of the Wells Reservoirs and Facilities Management (WRFM) processes of Shell Companies. WRFM in Shell seeks to keep deferments and natural production decline rates as low as possible and optimise production in line with field WRFM philosophy (minimal pressure depletion, keeping producing GOR below a threshold, keeping well head pressure and surface vessels within a defined envelope, etc). At the foundation of this efficient WRFM lies a thorough and current understanding of the entire production system, one of the ways by which this is achieved is via a system of multi-discipline (daily, quarterly, annual and ad-hoc) reviews developed within Shell and for Wells, Reservoirs and Facilities Management to enable quick understanding of deviations and quick decision making and quick corrective actions.These reviews are applied in the field under discussion. The King Field is located offshore Nigeria and has been operated for over a decade. Increasing water production with an attendant oil production decline is the most critical concern in the field. Good WRFM practices have therefore become more important than ever to safely and optimally produce hydrocarbons from the field.In one reservoir, decisions and actions following from systematic reviews resulted in the restoration of production to two producers and increased production from two other producers by artificial lift opportunity identification and execution in the wells with the following benefits:• Increase in reservoir ultimate recovery. • Optimal use of installed FPSO capacity.Similar applications of structured multi-discipline reviews to developed reservoirs have the potential to improve the recovery efficiency of these reservoirs using "common place" technologies such that a small increase in recovery factors could cumulatively result in an immense increase in production from developed fields at minimal expenditures.