Sapinhoÿ Field, Santos Basin Presalt: From Design to Execution and Results

Abstract

This article, written by Special Publications Editor Adam Wilson, contains highlights of paper OTC 26320, “SapinhoÁ Field, Santos Basin Presalt: From Conceptual Design to Project Execution and Results,” by J. Turazzi Naveiro, SPE, and D. Haimson, Petrobras, prepared for the 2015 Offshore Technology Conference Brasil, Rio de Janeiro, 27–29 October. The paper has not been peer reviewed. This paper presents the development of SapinhoÁ field, covering the fast-track transition and decision-making process, from appraisal to conceptual and basic engineering of the SapinhoÁ pilot project and on to its subsequent execution, highlighting the challenges, lessons learned, and results. Even though, at the time, several uncertainties about developing presalt areas were present, a fast-track strategy was chosen. A pilot project was seen as a means to provide valuable information for the remaining development of SapinhoÁ and other fields in the presalt cluster. Introduction The SapinhoÁ field is in Block BM-S-9 at the central portion of the Santos Basin (Fig. 1). The water depth is approximately 2140 m, and reservoir depth lies between 5000 and 6000 m, with salt-layer thickness up to 2 m. The main objectives of the SapinhoÁ pilot were to evaluate the production and injection behaviors in a carbonate reservoir of microbial origin and obtain information and provide technology development so that those could be used for the remaining development of the presalt cluster. This information would be useful to Define the best recovery method to be applied in future projects Define the best exploitation strategy Optimize location, geometry, and number of wells Evaluate reservoir hydraulic communication Estimate vertical and horizontal permeability Project Engineering: Concept Overview Production-development plans consisted of the installation of a chartered floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel in the field’s south area; a well-construction campaign; a subsea gathering system; and gas-export-pipeline installation.