Multiple Hypothesis Reservoir Description Utilising Advanced 3D Seismic West of Shetland

Hanna, Robert W.; Currie, M.; Connolly, Pat; Cowper, David; Smith, Robert L.; Linskaill, Chris J.

doi:10.4043/7962-ms

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…The T30 reservoirs in Foinaven and Schiehallion are in the second category (Hanna et al 1996). However, a change up-dip from water-bearing to hydrocarbon-bearing sandstone should be associated with a relative decrease in acoustic impedance.…”

Section: Seismic Imagingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Paleocene hydrocarbon play has received considerable attention from the oil industry in recent years, encouraged by the discovery of the Foinaven and Schiehallion fields in 1992 and 1993, respectively (Hanna et al 1996). These discoveries marked the reward for a persistent commitment to the exploration potential of the Paleocene Faeroe-Shetland Basin area by both BP and Shell, which started with the first hydrocarbon discovery made by Shell in 1980 (206/2-1).…”

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confidence: 99%

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The Paleocene deepwater sandstone play West of Shetland

Lamers

Carmichael

1999

PGC

120

123

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Following the discovery of oil in Paleocene sandstones in the Foinaven and Schiehallion fields in 1992 and 1993, exploration in the Faeroe-Shetland Basin has been very active. Most of the basin has been covered with 3D seismic surveys and numerous wells have been drilled for the Paleocene deep water play. However, success in terms of commercial discoveries has been limited. Detailed analysis suggests that the Foinaven/Schiehallion geological setting is unique in terms of hydrocarbon charge history, reservoir quality and trapping style. Oil charge is attributed to the presence of a Mesozoic high (Westray Ridge), which both focused charge and retained oil prior to remigration into Paleocene traps. The T35-T36 sequence which includes the Andrew Tuff appears to provide an effective top seal across the basin and all significant discoveries have been made in the T31-T35 fairway directly underlying it. Although reservoir sandstones similar to those found in the Foinaven and Schiehallion area have been encountered across the entire Faeroe-Shetland Basin, their relatively shallow burial depth and their position at the base of slope at Foinaven and Schiehallion appears to be unique in the basin. Several gas discoveries have been made in the Flett Sub-basin, located to the northeast of the Foinaven/Schiehallion area. The Flett Sub-basin has all the ingredients of a successful Paleocene hydrocarbon play, such as pervasive charge, an effective regional top seal, and stacks of Lower Paleocene deep-water sandstones and shales. However, trap definition is difficult: most remaining structures rely on a stratigraphic trapping component. The definition of top reservoir sand on seismic data is not straightforward, as seismic imaging techniques, including direct hydrocarbon indicator (DHI) analysis, are often ambiguous. T31-T35 sandstones in the deep Flett Subbasin tend to be tight, although a considerable number have been found to have good reservoir properties. Prediction of areas where reservoir quality is preserved will be a main challenge for continuing exploration in the deep part of the Faeroe-Shetland Basin, including the undesignated area adjacent to Quadrant 204. LAMERS, E. & CARMICHAEL, S. M. M. 1999. The Paleocene deepwater sandstone play West of Shetland.

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Section: Seismic Imagingmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Paleocene deepwater sandstone play West of Shetland

Lamers

Carmichael

1999

PGC

120

123

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“…The in-place hydrocarbon volumes are therefore derived from quantative analysis of the 3D seismic data to predict hydrocarbon pore thickness, through impedance processing calibrated to the well control (Hanna et al 1996).…”

Section: Hydrocarbon Volumesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Foinaven Field, Blocks 204/19 and 204/24a, UK North Sea

Carruth

2003

Memoirs

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The Foinaven Field was discovered in 1992 and is estimated to hold up to one billion barrels of oil, with the current development expecting to recover 250 million barrels. BP Amoco is the operator of the field, holding a 72% interest with Shell UK as partner. The Foinaven structure is a faulted anticline and the trapping mechanism has elements of stratigraphic pinch-out, fault and dip closure. The field is divided into five fault/stratigraphical segments with varying oil-water and gas-oil contacts. The reservoir is Paleocene in age and comprises channelized, silici-clastic turbidites, with three main oil-containing sandstone intervals. Reservoir rock varies in character from thinly interbedded sandstones to massive channel sandstone. The reservoir is good quality, fine to medium grained, with 20-

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The Foinaven Field: managing reservoir development uncertainty prior to start-up

Cooper

Evans

Lynch

et al. 1999

PGC

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Foinaven was the first oil field discovery in the deep waters west of the Shetland Islands. The field was (re)discovered in deep water sands of Late Paleocene age in 1992 by Well 204/24a-2, and from late 1993 was the subject of an accelerated appraisal programme leading to field development approval in November 1994. Production started in November 1997 through a subsea system connected to a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel with shuttle tanker export.Continual improvement in the quality of the seismic data across the field coupled with the large amount of well data acquired during the appraisal and development programmes has reduced much of the static uncertainty associated with estimates of the STOIIP (oil initially in place) and reservoir geometry. However, significant issues relating to channel inter-connectivity, the field’s connected reserves, well production decline and pressure maintenance have only been able to be addressed through the acquisition of dynamic data. The key to these data has been an extended well test (EWT) performed on a horizontal appraisal well in Panel 3.With 42 × 106BBL of reserves, the Panel 3 segment of Foinaven is the second largest of the five segments identified in the field to date. The principal reservoir zone is made up of two separate seismically-identifiable channels, which may or may not be in good communication. For either outcome we planned to achieve good recovery efficiency by appropriate placement of the two pre-drilled horizontal producers. The seismic geometry of the channels, combined with the analysis of a pressure build up (PBU) following a short clean-up flow on one of the wells, indicate the presence of a potential barrier between the two targeted channels. Recent longer-term data from down-hole gauges shows similar 15 psi depletion in the both wells as a result of the extraction of 437016 BBL during the EWT. These data have indicated there is some communication between the channels and have been invaluable in maximizing understanding prior to field start-up.

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Multiple Hypothesis Reservoir Description Utilising Advanced 3D Seismic West of Shetland

Cited by 9 publications

References 0 publications

The Paleocene deepwater sandstone play West of Shetland

The Paleocene deepwater sandstone play West of Shetland

The Foinaven Field, Blocks 204/19 and 204/24a, UK North Sea

The Foinaven Field: managing reservoir development uncertainty prior to start-up

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