The Statfjord Field, Blocks 33/9, 33/12 Norwegian sector, Blocks 211/24, 211/25 UK sector, Northern North Sea

Abstract

AbstractThe Statfjord Field, the largest oil field in the Northern North Sea, straddles the Norway/UK boundary and is located on the southwestern part of the Tampen Spur within the East Shetland Basin. The accumulation is trapped in a 6-8° W-NW dipping rotated fault block comprised of Jurassic-Triassic strata sealed by Middle to Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous shalesReserves are located in three separate reservoirs: Middle Jurassic deltaic sediments of the Brent Group, Lower Jurassic marine-shelf sandstones and siltstones of the Dunlin Group; and Upper Triassic-lowermost Jurassic fluviatile sediments of the Statfjord Formation. The majority of reserves are contained within the Brent Group; and Statfjord Formation sediments which exhibit good to excellent reservoir properties with porosities ranging from 20-30% permeabilities ranging up to several darcies, and an average net-to-gross of 60-75%. The sandstones and siltstones of the Dunlin Group have poorer reservoir properties where the best reservoir unit exhibits an average porosity of 22%, an average permeability 300 raD and net-to-gross of 45%Structurally, the field is subdivided into a main field area characterized by relatively undeformed W-NW dipping strata, and a heavily deformed east flank area characterized by several phases of 'eastward' gravitational collapseProduction from the field commenced in 1979 and as of January 2000, 176 wells have been drilled. The oil is undersaturated and no natural gas-cap is present. The drainage strategy has been to develop the Brent and Dunlin Group reservoir with pressure maintenance using water injection and the Statfjord Formation reservoir by miscible gas flood. However, a strategy to improve recovery by implementing water alternating gas (WAG) methods is gradually being implemented for both the Brent and Statfjord reservoirs. Current estimates indicate that by 2015 a total of 666 x 106Sm3 (4192 MMBBL) of oil will be recovered and 75 GSm3 (2.66 TCF) gas will be exported from the field