Subsurface
What the team says...
Fairfield was set up specifically to develop North Sea fields that are either mature or have proven to be difficult to develop in the past. The Reservoir Development teams at Fairfield are made up of Geophysicists, Geologists and Reservoir Engineers, highly experienced at dealing with these types of assets.
The primary function of the Subsurface Team is to ensure that maximum value from the reservoirs is achieved. The integrated team of reservoir engineers, geologists and geophysicists uses a variety of tools, both novel and conventional, to formulate long and short term development plans that deliver the full potential of Fairfield’s asset portfolio.
The process starts with Geophysics where old seismic data is improved with modern computer processing techniques. The interpretation of the new data then produces maps which are often a vast improvement on the originals, enabling the internal structures of the field to be seen in more detail and the positions of faults to be imaged more accurately.
The Geophysicist and Geologist then collaborate in combining these maps with historic well data to produce a computer model of the reservoir. The Geologists work together with the Reservoir Engineers to convert this model to a “dynamic” simulation of the flow of oil and gas through the reservoir rocks to the production wells. This process is one of close collaboration with the Geologist to ensure and changes to the model make good sense within known principles of Geology.
The completed Simulation model can then be used to test planned development schemes with various well or pipeline configurations, and the results used to maximise the oil recovery and economic returns.
The Dunlin Area Team have formulated plans for future Dunlin development that includes drilling new infill wells, installing electrical submersible pumps in existing wells, and conversion of water injectors from lower to upper reservoir water injection. These plans are currently being executed by the drilling and well services teams.
Tony Peters, Principal Petroleum Engineer and part of the Production Enhancement team based in Aberdeen comments, “In order to deliver the Dunlin reserves, we have applied some innovative thinking. The area has significant remaining stranded reserves that we plan to recover with the deployment of electrical submersible pumps, supported by water injection. Instead of using the high value, high pressure injection water, we had the idea to pump produced water at very low pressure into the reservoir. This result basically ensured that we will be able to recover all reserves without using any of our HP water injection resource. I think this is a North Sea first.”
Contracts & Procurement
Ensuring that all goods and services maximise the value which the supply chain delivers.
Find out more
Drilling
Covering all aspects of Drilling, Completion and Well Services activities, the team strives for continuous improvement in well delivery.
Find out more
Subsurface
The primary function of the Subsurface Team is to ensure that maximum value from the reservoirs is achieved.
Find out more