Abstract
Abstract Sockeye Field, discovered in 1970, lies offshore California in the Santa Barbara Channel. The decision to develop the field was made in 1983 based on 1979–83 exploration drilling. Platform Gail was installed in 1987 and development drilling commenced in June 1988. Currently there are eleven development wells with plans for two more (two duals and eleven single completions). This project has taken 20 years to reach the development stage since the lease sale in 1968. This long time span was partly due to permitting delays encountered in offshore California projects and a Santa Barbara Channel drilling moratorium in the 1970's. The field produces from five reservoirs; Middle and Upper Sespe Sands, Lower and Upper Topanga Sands, and the Monterey Formation. Sespe Sands are fluvial channel deposits with individual sand bodies with limited areal extents. The Middle Sespe produces dry sweet gas and the Upper Sespe produces sweet 29° API gravity oil. The Topanga Sands were deposited in a near shore environment and are more continuous in nature. Lower Topanga Sands contain sweet oil whereas Upper Topanga Sands test a low gravity 18° API sour oil. The Monterey Formation is composed of thin beds of cherts, porcellanites, siliceous shales, mudstones, and dolostones. The fractured Lower Monterey produces heavy sour oil, similar to that of the Upper Topanga. To minimize risk, delineation wells were drilled early in the development program to ensure that reserves warranted additional investment in wells and facilities. Nine wells were completed during the first phase of the drilling program. Gas production from these wells was projected to exceed the capacity of the Carpinteria Gas Plant. The drilling rig was put on standby to evaluate various facilities modifications to handle production. At the conclusion of the evaluation, drilling was resumed with plans to drill four more wells. Reservoir information was obtained through an integrated program of formation evaluation, core analysis, production logging and build-up and interference testing.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
