Use of innovative technology to manage impacts in a sensitive environment

Abstract

In 2008 Woodside Energy Ltd, as operator of the Browse LNG Development, completed the Torosa–6 appraisal well in the south lagoon of Scott Reef, which is about 425 kilometres north of Broome, Western Australia. The well was drilled with the Wilcraft jack-up rig (Fig. 1) and was part of the appraisal program for the Torosa gas field. About half of this field lies beneath the shallow-water coral atolls of Scott Reef. The well involved a number of innovative technologies to minimise the environmental footprint while achieving the appraisal objectives. The approach adopted a custom-built riserless recovery system to collect the cuttings and mud from the riserless section of the well, combined with a purpose built cuttings containment and slurrification system to recover the cuttings and mud from the well for disposal away from Scott Reef. This well represents a significant demonstration of the industry’s responsible approach to operating in sensitive areas. The drilling of the Torosa–6 well provided a number of challenges due to the environmental sensitivity of the area, requirement to obtain regulatory approval at both the state and Commonwealth levels and the need take stakeholder expectations into account.