A group led by Cairn Energy PLC has drilled the SNE-3 appraisal well offshore Senegal confirming the field’s upper reservoir units can flow at commercially viable rates and make a material contribution to oil volumes.
Project partner, Perth-based FAR Ltd., says that two drillstem tests were run in these upper units over the past week.
The company said a gross 15-m zone flowed at rates as high as 5,400 b/d of oil with a stabilized main flow of 4,000 b/d through a 56/64-in. choke.
Another 5.5-m zone was added to the first flow and produced at a combined stabilized rate of 4,500 b/d through the same choke size.
The flows were constrained by the available test equipment, but still exceeded FAR’s expectations.
FAR said the results confirmed an excellent reservoir quality and a correlation between the other two wells on the field (OGJ Online, Dec. 10, 2015).
A 144-m-long core was taken across the entire reservoir interval and SNE-3 well confirmed a gross oil column thickness of 101 m. This compares with a gross column of 103 m at SNE-2 and 96 m at SNE-1.
The oil measured 32° API gravity, the same as the previous two wells.
FAR added that the reservoir units were intersected higher than expected on the structure, suggesting the southern flank of the field may extend further south than originally mapped.
SNE field lies in the Sangomar Deep offshore block and SNE-3 is about 3 km south of the SNE-1 discovery well.
The third well has been plugged as planned and the Ocean Rig Athena rig will move to the BEL-1 location to evaluate a buried hills play on the Bellatrix prospect that lies above and to the north of SNE field.
Cairn holds 40% in the block. Other partners include ConocoPhillips 35%, FAR 15%, and Senegal state oil concern Petrosen 10%.
