6000 wells on the Norwegian shelf
04/04/2017 Well number 6000 was registered as completed in the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's Fact Pages in late March. This was production well 31/2-Y-21 AY2H on the Troll field in the North Sea.
All wildcat and production wells drilled on the Norwegian shelf since 1966 have been registered in the Fact Pages with wellbore designation and well ID. The Troll well was assigned number 6000 in this overview. Scientific wells and shallow drilling activity are not included in this list.
The NPD's Core Store includes core and cuttings samples from virtually all exploration wells drilled, in addition to all cores and substantial volumes of cuttings from all producing fields. This is all accessible to the general public. The same applies for information about e.g. pressure, temperature, porosity and permeability in the wells.
"The companies should not compete for raw data. Everyone should have access to basic geological data and rather compete to develop the best interpretation," says Robert Williams. He is a geologist and coordinator for the Core Store.
But the Core Store is not exactly a destination for the average person. The majority of those who apply to visit work for consulting firms or oil companies. Many come to study cross-sections of core samples, often in connection with applications for Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) or ordinary licensing rounds. Today, there is a six-week waiting list for such visits.
"For example, once Johan Sverdrup (previously Aldous/Avaldsnes) was proven in 2010, there was considerable interest in examining cores from the discovery well," says data steward Per Henning Sæle in the NPD.
Others want to do more than just look, they want physical samples from fluids, cuttings or cores. They must submit a well-substantiated application with a project description, issue, what they will be using the interpretation for and how much material they think they need.
"The NPD's sample release committee, which consists of four geologists, considers applications each week, including how much material the applicant will receive. Normally, we aren't talking about more than a few grams," says Robert Williams.
Whereas cores and physical samples end up in storage, key data is registered and published on the Fact Pages. Reports and logs are entered into the Diskos database, which is a national repository for exploration and production information from the Norwegian shelf. The Diskos group currently comprises more than 50 members (oil companies). Diskos also includes more than 20 associated members (non-oil companies and Norwegian universities).
The NPD has core samples from all exploration and production wells drilled on the Norwegian shelf.
Updated: 04/04/2017