THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE GREATER GORGON GAS FIELDS

2003 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 167
Author(s):  
P.M. Oen

The vast reservoirs of untapped natural gas found in the Greater Gorgon area off Western Australia’s Pilbara coast contain in excess of 11 billion cubic metres (40 trillion cubic feet) of gas, representing some 25% of Australia’s total known gas resources. Developing this world-class resource is a matter of national importance as it would secure Australia’s position as a leading gas producer and provide a huge new source of wealth for both Australia and Western Australia.The key to unlocking the Greater Gorgon reserves is the development of the Gorgon field—one of the largest single gas fields ever discovered in Australia. Establishment of gas processing infrastructure on Barrow Island—which lies between the gas field and the mainland—would provide a catalyst for the future development of other Greater Gorgon area fields. Gas would be processed at that facility and transported through a gas pipeline to shore, enabling large new competitive supplies of gas to be delivered to the mainland.While the development of Gorgon gas would bring significant benefits—A$11 billion investment, A$17 billion in Commonwealth and State taxes and royalties and an annual increase in the nation’s export income of A$2.5 billion—the Gorgon gas field presents some unique challenges. With little associated liquid hydrocarbons, development costs must be kept to a minimum to maintain commercial viability. In addition, Gorgon gas contains a relatively high content of carbon dioxide (CO2) which results in substantial treatment cost and relatively large potential greenhouse gas emissions.Barrow Island—both an internationally important nature reserve and Australia’s largest operating onshore oilfield—has emerged as the development location that would enable gas from the Gorgon gas fields to be competitive in today’s market. The Western Australian Government has said the Gorgon venture (ChevronTexaco, Shell and ExxonMobil) must demonstrate at a strategic level that the proposed Gorgon gas development on Barrow Island can generate economic and social benefits, provide net conservation benefits and mitigate potential on-site impacts.


2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 255
Author(s):  
Andrew Constantine ◽  
Glenn Morgan ◽  
Robin O'Leary ◽  
Simon Smith

Extended-reach drilling (ERD) is becoming an increasingly common technique used to explore for hydrocarbons and develop fields in areas where simple vertical wells cannot be drilled due to access problems, stakeholder concerns, environmental issues, poor reservoir quality and/or cost. While these types of wells are generally more expensive and technically challenging to drill than vertical wells, they can be very cost-effective, and if a discovery is made, considerably quicker to monetise when future development costs are also taken into consideration, particularly in offshore environments. In 2014–2015, the conventional Exploration and Production division of Origin Energy (now Lattice Energy) drilled three onshore-to-offshore ERD wells and a geological sidetrack in the Otway Basin with horizontal offsets of 1929, 2576, 4239 and 5152 m targeting an undeveloped gas field (Halladale) and exploration prospect (Speculant) located in Victorian state waters near Port Campbell. The three wells (Halladale-2, Speculant-1 and Speculant-2) and sidetrack (Speculant-2ST1) were drilled during a single drilling campaign from the same pad to reduce mobilisation, drilling and development costs. Halladale-2 was designed to develop the Halladale Field, while Speculant-1, -2 and -2ST1 were designed to evaluate the Speculant Prospect. Both Speculant wells and the sidetrack encountered significant gas columns with Speculant-1 and Speculant-2ST1 subsequently completed as producers after being successfully flow tested. A 33 km onshore pipeline was then constructed to transport the gas from Halladale and Speculant back to the Otway Gas Plant (OGP) for processing and sale. The arrival of first gas at the OGP from the Halladale and Speculant gas fields on 26 August 2016 marked a significant milestone for Origin Energy in terms of accelerated project delivery. It also represented the end of a 15-year journey for Halladale from exploration to discovery to development. The drilling campaign also set several records in the process with: (1) Speculant being the first offshore field to be discovered from mainland Australia; (2) Halladale and Speculant being the first offshore fields to produce gas back to mainland Australia from onshore wells; (3) Halladale-2, Speculant-1 and Speculant-2 being the three longest onshore-to-offshore wells drilled to date in Australia (in horizontal departure terms); and (4) Halladale-2 being the longest well (in mMDRT terms) drilled to date in the Otway Basin. Speculant is a good example of how transition zone (TZ) seismic and ERD technology can be used successfully to explore and develop resources in areas previously considered too difficult by using more conventional seismic acquisition and drilling technology.



2014 ◽  
Vol 1073-1076 ◽  
pp. 2244-2247
Author(s):  
Hu Sun ◽  
Zhi Jun Ning ◽  
Zu Wen Wang ◽  
Zhen Li ◽  
Zhi Guo Wang

Erosion is a main failure of tubings and downhole tools in Changqing gas field. It is necessary to evaluate the erosion rate for the safety of tubing and strings. In this paper, the erosion of P110 steel, in the 0.2%wt guar gum fracturing fluid which contains sands, is investigated by weight loss method in the self-made jet experiment device. It is indicated that the erosion rate increases with the increment of slurry velocity exponentially. When the slurry velocity is in low velocity area, the electrochemical corrosion of dissolved oxygen dominates in erosion mechanism; when slurry velocity increases into middle velocity area, the weight loss is controlled by the synergism of corrosion-erosion; and when the slurry velocity increases into high velocity area, the weight loss rate is dominantly depended on erosion of particles. The results can provide guidelines for large-scale fracturing work of Changqing gas fields.



SPE Journal ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (06) ◽  
pp. 1058-1068 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.. Bolourinejad ◽  
R.. Herber

Summary Depleted gas fields are among the most probable candidates for subsurface storage of carbon dioxide (CO2). With proven reservoir and qualified seal, these fields have retained gas over geological time scales. However, unlike methane, injection of CO2 changes the pH of the brine because of the formation of carbonic acid. Subsequent dissolution/precipitation of minerals changes the porosity/permeability of reservoir and caprock. Thus, for adequate, safe, and effective CO2 storage, the subsurface system needs to be fully understood. An important aspect for subsurface storage of CO2 is purity of this gas, which influences risk and cost of the process. To investigate the effects of CO2 plus impurities in a real case example, we have carried out medium-term (30-day) laboratory experiments (300 bar, 100°C) on reservoir and caprock core samples from gas fields in the northeast of the Netherlands. In addition, we attempted to determine the maximum allowable concentration of one of the possible impurities in the CO2 stream [hydrogen sulfide (H2S)] in these fields. The injected gases—CO2, CO2+100 ppm H2S, and CO2+5,000 ppm H2S—were reacting with core samples and brine (81 g/L Na+, 173 g/L Cl−, 22 g/L Ca2+, 23 g/L Mg2+, 1.5 g/L K+, and 0.2 g/L SO42−). Before and after the experiments, the core samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) for mineralogical variations. The permeability of the samples was also measured. After the experiments, dissolution of feldspars, carbonates, and kaolinite was observed as expected. In addition, we observed fresh precipitation of kaolinite. However, two significant results were obtained when adding H2S to the CO2 stream. First, we observed precipitation of sulfate minerals (anhydrite and pyrite). This differs from results after pure CO2 injection, where dissolution of anhydrite was dominant in the samples. Second, severe salt precipitation took place in the presence of H2S. This is mainly caused by the nucleation of anhydrite and pyrite, which enabled halite precipitation, and to a lesser degree by the higher solubility of H2S in water and higher water content of the gas phase in the presence of H2S. This was confirmed by the use of CMG-GEM (CMG 2011) modeling software. The precipitation of halite, anhydrite, and pyrite affects the permeability of the samples in different ways. After pure CO2 and CO2+100 ppm H2S injection, permeability of the reservoir samples increased by 10–30% and ≤3%, respectively. In caprock samples, permeability increased by a factor of 3–10 and 1.3, respectively. However, after addition of 5,000 ppm H2S, the permeability of all samples decreased significantly. In the case of CO2+100 ppm H2S, halite, anhydrite, and pyrite precipitation did balance mineral dissolution, causing minimal variation in the permeability of samples.



2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tran Nguyet Ngo ◽  
Lee Thomas ◽  
Kavitha Raghavendra ◽  
Terry Wood

Abstract Transporting large volumes of gas over long distances from further and deeper waters remains a significant challenge in making remote offshore gas field developments technologically and economically viable. The conventional development options include subsea compression, floating topside with topside compression and pipeline tie-back to shore, or floating liquefied natural gas vessels. However, these options are CAPEX and OPEX intensive and require high energy consumption. Demand for a lower emission solution is increasingly seen as the growing trend of global energy transition. Pseudo Dry Gas (PDG) technology is being developed by Intecsea, Worley Group and The Oil & Gas Technology Centre (Aberdeen) and tested in collaboration with Cranfield University. This is applied to develop stranded or remote gas reserves by removing fluids at the earliest point of accumulation at multiple locations, resulting in near dry gas performance. This technology aims to solve liquid management issues and subsequently allows for energy efficient transportation of the subsea gas enabling dramatic reductions in emissions. The PDG prototype tested using the Flow Loop facilities at Cranfield University has demonstrated the concept’s feasibility. Due to a greater amount of gas recovered with a much lower power requirement, the CO2 emissions per ton of gas produced via the PDG concept is by an order of magnitude lower than conventional methods. This study showed a reduction of 65% to 80% against standard and alternative near future development options. The paper considers innovative technology and a value proposition for the Pseudo Dry Gas concept based on a benchmarked study of a remote offshore gas field. The basin was located in 2000m of water depth, with a 200km long subsea tie-back. To date the longest tieback studied was 350km. It focused on energy consumption and carbon emission aspects. The conclusion is that decarbonisation of energy consumption is technically possible and can be deployed subsea to help meet this future challenge and push the envelope of subsea gas tie-backs.



Methane ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-37
Author(s):  
Muhammad Alfiza Farhan ◽  
Yuichi Sugai ◽  
Nuhindro Priagung Widodo ◽  
Syafrizal Syafrizal

The leakage of methane from the subsurface on the coalfield or natural gas field invariably becomes an important issue nowadays. In notable addition, materials such as activated carbon, zeolites, and Porapak have been successfully identified as adsorbents. Those adsorbents could adsorb methane at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. Therefore, in this scholarly study, a new method using adsorbents to detect points of methane leakage that can cover a wide-scale area was developed. In the beginning, the most capable adsorbent should be determined by quantifying adsorbed methane amount. Furthermore, checking the possibility of adsorption in the column diffusion and desorption method of adsorbents is equally necessary. The most capable adsorbent was activated carbon (AC), which can adsorb 1.187 × 10−3 mg-CH4/g-AC. Hereinafter, activated carbon successfully can adsorb methane through column diffusion, which simulates the situation of on-site measurement. The specific amount of adsorbed methane when the initial concentrations of CH4 in a bag were 200 ppm, 100 ppm, and 50 ppm was found to be 0.818 × 10−3 mg-CH4/g-AC, 0.397 × 10−3 mg-CH4/g-AC, 0.161 × 10−3 mg-CH4/g-AC, respectively. Desorption of activated carbon analysis shows that methane concentration increases during an hour in the temperature bath under 80 °C. In conclusion, soil methane leakage points can be detected using activated carbon by identifying the observed methane concentration increase.



2010 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 691
Author(s):  
Craig May ◽  
Herb Jacklin

The Chevron-operated Gorgon Project is located off the northwest coast of Western Australia and encompasses a number of mega-projects including an all-subsea upstream development of the Greater Gorgon gas fields, a greenfield gas processing facility including a 15MTPA liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant and a 300TJ/d domestic gas plant, and the world’s largest commercial scale carbon dioxide injection project. Due to its sheer size, scale and complexity, in addition to a number of unique characteristics, the Gorgon Project has required an extraordinary level of project execution planning. One aspect is the processing plant’s location on Barrow Island—a remote Class A nature reserve. Core to the project’s planning and success is a meticulous and robust environmental management system designed to protect Barrow Island’s unique flora and fauna. This includes stringent environmental measures such as limits on worker population and movement, quarantine requirements for all personnel, and materials and work adjustments for seasonal flora and fauna life cycles. The project’s scope of work is also being executed from three centres: LNG facilities centered in London, infrastructure centered in Perth and construction operations centered in London, Perth and Barrow Island (according to the phase and priorities of the project). This paper explores the following factors: the remote location of the gas fields; cohabiting industry with Barrow Island; minimising environmental impacts using efficient construction management methods such as modularisation; and working together as one team across multiple locations and time zones to demonstrate how the extraordinary can be achieved.



2011 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 684
Author(s):  
Peter Cook ◽  
Yildiray Cinar ◽  
Guy Allinson ◽  
Charles Jenkins ◽  
Sandeep Sharma ◽  
...  

Successful completion of the first stage of the CO2CRC Otway Project demonstrated safe and effective CO2 storage in the Naylor depleted gas field and confirmed our ability to model and monitor subsurface behaviour of CO2. It also provided information of potential relevance to CO2 enhanced gas recovery (EGR) and to opportunities for CO2 storage in depleted gas fields. Given the high CO2 concentration of many gas fields in the region, it is important to consider opportunities for integrating gas production, CO2 storage in depleted gas fields, and CO2-EGR optimisation within a production schedule. The use of CO2-EGR may provide benefits through the recovery of additional gas resources and a financial offset to the cost of geological storage of CO2 from gas processing or other anthropogenic sources, given a future price on carbon. Globally, proven conventional gas reserves are 185 trillion m3 (BP Statistical Review, 2009). Using these figures and Otway results, a replacement efficiency of 60 % (% of pore space available for CO2 storage following gas production) indicates a global potential storage capacity—in already depleted plus reserves—of approximately 750 Gigatonnes of CO2. While much of this may not be accessible for technical or economic reasons, it is equivalent to more than 60 years of total global stationary emissions. This suggests that not only gas—as a lower carbon fuel—but also depleted gas fields, have a major role to play in decreasing CO2 emissions worldwide.



Author(s):  
Hualei Yi ◽  
Yun Hao ◽  
Xiaohong Zhou

Abstract For deepwater subsea tie-back gas field development, hydrate tends to be formed in deepwater subsea production system and gas pipeline due to high pressure and low temperature. Based on the gas field A development, this paper studies the selection of hydrate inhibitors and injection points, i.e. different injection points with different inhibitors. Transient and steady flow simulations are performed using the OLGA software widely used for multiphase flow pipeline study in the world. The produced water flow rate affects the hydrate inhibition in case of well opening, including cases of different times with different water temperatures. This paper presents the calculation of the maximum inhibitor injection rate in the subsea pipeline by taking the whole production years into consideration. The measures on hydrate remediation are taken by quickly relieving the subsea pipeline pressure from wellheads and the platform according to different hydrate locations. Now more and more deepwater gas fields are developed in South China Sea and around the world. The experience obtained from the gas field A development will benefit the hydrate inhibition for future deepwater gas field development.



2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 803
Author(s):  
Abdul Qader ◽  
Jai Kant Pandit

CO2CRC, in collaboration with the University of Melbourne and the University of New South Wales, is testing two novel CO2 capture technologies designed for both on-shore and off-shore natural gas applications in a state-of-the-art experimental capture rig at CO2CRC’s Otway National Research Facility. The goal is to develop robust and compact technology for high pressure natural gas separation over a range of adjusted high CO2 concentrations mimicking various gas field conditions. These technologies would facilitate developing new gas fields to recover methane in a cost-effective manner which is currently uneconomical with conventional technologies. In the first stage of testing, commercially available materials (adsorbents and membranes) were used for benchmarking. Results from both adsorbent and membrane technologies are encouraging with respect to recovery and purity of CO2 and methane with the prospect of commercial application.



2019 ◽  
Vol 91 ◽  
pp. 07023
Author(s):  
Victor Volkov ◽  
Nikita Volkov

The paper considers the problematic issues of the special aspects of solution of the problems of modern geodynamics and technogenic geomechanics in oil and gas fields based on the results of re-levelling. The disadvantages and fundamental errors traditionally made by mining and land surveyors in organizing and performing re-levelling on the territories of oil and gas fields are given. The results of high precision levelling, obtained on the territory of an oil and gas field using the program and goal-oriented approach for its formulation, are presented. The representativeness and sufficient accuracy of obtaining the results of re-levelling allowed us to establish significant speeds of geodynamic and technogenic displacements of the earth’s surface (0.4 - 3.6 mm/year) in the shortest time possible with high economic efficiency.



Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document