Real-time data transfer to 3D model—maximizing wellbore value

Abstract

Editor's note: Most of the material in this article was presented at the 10th Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference in 2002 and originally published as SPE paper 78526. It is under copyright by SPE and is reprinted here with permission. Ula, a mature water-flooded oil field in block 7/12 of the Norwegian sector of the North Sea (Figure 1), is operated by BP Norge AS on behalf of partners DONG Norge AS and Svenska Petroleum AS. The oil accumulation is moderately deep (3350–3800 m TVDSS) and hot (150° C). The reservoir consists of upper Jurassic shallow marine sediments in a four-way dip closure above a salt structure (Figure 2). The field was discovered in 1976, and first oil was produced in 1986. Plateau oil production of 100–150 mbd was maintained until late 1993. Subsequent production has been about 25 mbd, sustained by infill drilling in the upper unit 1A reservoir and by injecting water and gas. A water-alternating gas (WAG) scheme has recently commenced. Figure 1. Location of Ula Field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. Figure 2. Cross-section through Ula Field. Vertical exaggeration approximately two-fold. Main reservoir (units 2,3) shaded in gray. Unit 1 reservoir is below the dashed line and above the gray shaded area. This paper describes recent experience on the last two unit 1A infill wells, which were geosteered, near-horizontal wells on the crest of the field structure. During the drilling of these wells, a real-time data link connected the Ula platform with BP's offices in Stavanger. This link enabled data from a directional drilling/LWD vendor and a mudlogging company to be loaded directly into BP's corporate subsurface database on a regular and automatic basis. The drilling and LWD data were also available to the entire drilling and completions team through a Web-based browser. The real-time …