Technology Focus: Field Development Projects (October 2011)

Abstract

Technology Focus From the time that an oil field is discovered by an exploratory well until it begins production of its first oil, the development-project team faces many technical decisions. Making correct choices is most critical to the project and is very challenging to the team, which must deal with several uncertainties. Information acquisition is an important step in helping the team to understand the field and to make correct decisions. At this phase, a series of activities, including drilling appraisal wells, geology and seismic studies, reservoir simulations, and many others, are key factors that are necessary to achieve the most-accurate information from the reservoir. It is through such important information gathering and correct decision making that oil companies can define the appropriate development method for the oil field. Optimizing costs and maximizing oil recovery are factors that will make field production more economically viable. A wrong decision may translate into a disastrous choice for the project. Oil-price uncertainty is another important part in this process that the companies must deal with. Well design and architecture, completion design, well stimulation, production facilities, and many other factors are important items to be defined to make a development project successful. The papers selected for this feature are good examples of focusing on some of the factors just mentioned. It is interesting to read about different types of field-development projects in different areas. Specific project solutions and several studies and simulations used by the companies are shown in the articles and in the listed additional reading. Field Development Projects additional reading available at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org SPE 137220 • “GOM Deepwater-Field-Development Challenges at Green Canyon 468 Pony” by Michael H. Weatherl, Hess Corporation. (See JPT, April 2011, page 70.) OTC 21583 • “Field-Development Planning and Floating-Platform Concept Selection for Global Deepwater Developments” by Richard D’Souza, Granherne, et al. SPE 133874 • “A Completions Guidebook to Shale-Play Development: A Review of Successful Approaches Toward Shale-Play Stimulation in the Last Two Decades” by K.K. Chong, Halliburton, et al.