Large oil and gas deposits in tight reservoirs
Chapter 3: Technical potential
Substantial quantities of oil and gas can be found in tight reservoir zones which are challenging to produce. That applies in part to rocks buried deeper than 4 000 metres in the Central and Viking Grabens in the North Sea and on the Halten Terrace in the Norwegian Sea. A commitment to new and improved technology will be important for boosting the productivity of these challenging reservoirs and thereby making profitable recovery possible.
LOOK INTO: Definitions
High pressure, high temperature (HPHT) and cementation as a result of increasing depth help to complicate recovery from tight reservoirs. In some cases, sandstone may have well-preserved porosity and permeability despite great depth. This could reflect the presence of chlorite and kaolinite, which prevent quartz cementation. Smørbukk and 6406/2-1 Lavrans are examples of fields and discoveries in the Norwegian Sea where chlorite has contributed to good reservoir quality.
The alternation between zones with quartz cementation and chlorite presents a challenge in tight reservoirs. As a rule, reliable mapping of the extent of good sand in the reservoir will be difficult. A good understanding of the depositional environment is important for predicting both high- and low-permeability zones in the best possible way.
(A) Sandstone where quartz cementation gives low permeability.
(B) Sandstone where chlorite has been precipitated before cementation and sandstone permeability has been preserved. (Photos: Statoil)
Condensate blocking is one challenge which may be faced in low-permeability gas and condensate fields. When reservoir pressure falls below the dew point, condensate will precipitate and Liquid can accumulate around the well. That lowers the relative permeability of the gas and reduces flow properties in the reservoir, which can lead to poorer well productivity. Certain reservoir zones with low permeability in the HPHT Kristin field present challenges precisely for this reason.
Norwegian Sea
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Map 1. HPHT map of the Norwegian Sea. Fields and discoveries located in the Jurassic high-pressure regime are estimated to contain big remaining resources in tight reservoir zones |
A number of fields and discoveries which consists completely or partly of tight sandstone reservoirs are located along the western side of the Halten Terrace in the Norwegian Sea. They lie primarily in HPHT areas, as shown in map 1. Large parts of their reservoir rocks are assumed to have tight zones as a result of quartz cementation. Largely of Jurassic age, these rocks lie deeper than 4 000 metres in the Åre, Tilje, Tofte, Ile and Garn formations. Examples of discoveries and fields with tight sandstone reservoirs are 6406/9-1 Linnorm, 6506-1 Victoria and Kristin. These three deposits are estimated to have resources in place of 300-450 million scm oe, of which as much as 250 million scm oe are thought to lie in tight reservoir zones. Up to 30 per cent of the Ile, Tofte and Tilje formations in 6406/2-1 Lavrans have permeabilities of 0.01-0.1 mD. The Garn formation is regarded as tight in 6406/2-1 Lavrans. In the Smørbukk deposit, large resources are estimated to occupy tight reservoir zones in the upper and middle parts of the Tilje formation. |
Southern North Sea sector
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Map 2. The southern part of Norway’s North Sea sector, showing discoveries and fields with large remaining resources in tight chalk reservoirs. |
Large resources are located in tight chalk reservoirs in the Central Graben at the southern part of Norway’s North Sea sector (map 2). Recovery from discoveries and fields in these areas faces some of the same challenges encountered in the Norwegian Sea. The chalk deposits have very low permeability, and production from them is often dependent on fracturing the rock. Tor, Albuskjell, Edda and Valhall are examples of fields with large remaining resources in tight chalk reservoirs. The original resources in place in these four fields are estimated to total around 800 million scm oe. Reservoirs in the Tor, Albuskjell and Edda fields, which have ceased production, comprise the Tor and Ekofisk formations. These alternate between tight and moderately porous layers. Resources originally in place in these fields are estimated at about 300 million scm oe. When they ceased production, their recovery factor was 20-30 per cent. The tight reservoir zones lie primarily in the Ekofisk formation. According to NPD estimates, most of the oil now produced from Tor and Albuskjell came from the Tor formation. This is the easiest formation to produce from. The NPD assumes that large resources remain in the Ekofisk formation. Valhall is producing from the Tor and Hod formations. The Tor formation is more permeable and produces better than the Hod formation. Resources originally in place in the field are estimated to be just over 500 million scm oe, with a recovery factor of about 35 per cent (resource categories 0-2). |
Northern North Sea sector
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Map 3. Extent of the upper part of the Shetland group in the northern part of Norway’s North Sea sector. The interpretation has been modified from the FMB software belonging to TGS. |
Tight reservoirs are also found in the Shetland group, which lies above the main reservoir in the Gullfaks and Oseberg fields (map 3). A revised plan for development and operation (PDO) of Gullfaks secured government approval in 2015. This includes producing the resources proven in the Shetland group. The latter is estimated to contain resources in place of 100-800 million scm oe on Gullfaks and Oseberg. Producing from these rocks has proved challenging, and the recovery factor is very low. |
Technology progress can ensure value creation
An earlier NPD study of a gas discovery with a tight reservoir in the Norwegian Sea found that efficient production would require drainage points created by hydraulic fracturing throughout the reservoir. This method involves generating fractures in a reservoir by injecting water and Chemicals.
The Åsgard field has tight zones in the parts of the Tilje formation in Smørbukk, while parts of the Garn formation in Smørbukk Sør are regarded as tight. Hydraulic fracturing has previously been used to boost productivity on Smørbukk.
Åsgard is also the only field on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) where the Fishbone technology developed in Norway has been utilised. This was done in a tight reservoir on Smørbukk Sør. The latter was discovered in 1985, but was earlier considered non-commercial because of low-permeability zones. During testing of the technology, about 150 “fishbones” with a diameter of 12 millimetres were drilled 10-12 metres out from the borehole with the aid of rotating turbines.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE statoil.com Smørbukk Sør Extension