Maximising production from the Gippsland Basin: integrating subsurface datasets across multiple disciplines to increase domestic gas supply

Abstract

The Turrum Field in the offshore Gippsland Basin has been a significant gas contributor since first development in 2004 and remains a keystone gas resource in the basin. Much work continues to be done to both optimally deplete the current accessible reserves, and to evaluate reserves capture opportunities through additional drilling. A multidisciplinary team of geoscientists and reservoir, production and wells engineers was formed to re-evaluate how to maximise production from the Turrum Field. New seismic data, wireline surveillance, production and surface monitoring parameters were integrated with existing geological models. An enhanced understanding of the Turrum reservoir has emerged with a more informed view of future well work requirements for optimal depletion of the field. The integration of this new information along with enhanced seismic over the greater Turrum area has not only helped to optimise production from the existing wells, it is also supporting efforts to evaluate the potential to fund additional opportunities to optimise production from Turrum, increasing current and future gas supply to the domestic market. The key to success for this work was the integration of many disparate subsurface datasets and the willingness to test biases and challenge previous field development recommendations based on new data and ideas.