Water injection to continue at Heidrun field in Norwegian Sea

July 17, 2001
Statoil said Tuesday that the Heidrun licensees will continue a project to extend water injection on the Statoil-operated Norwegian Sea field. It said increased water injection is needed to ensure efficient oil recovery from the Lower Tilje and Åre reservoirs.


By the OGJ Online Staff

HOUSTON, July 17 -- Statoil AS said Tuesday that the Heidrun licensees will continue a project to extend water injection on the Statoil-operated Norwegian Sea field.

It said the implementation likely would be approved in October, when the principal contract for modifying the tension-leg platform should also be awarded.

Increased water injection is needed on Heidrun to ensure efficient oil recovery from the Lower Tilje and Åre reservoirs.

Plans call for more use of seawater and full-scale utilization of produced water. The latter has been reinjected through a pilot well since Feb. 5.

Heidrun project manager Knut Gjertsen said, "Injecting produced water is an important element in our zero-discharge strategy. Getting this liquid back into the reservoir will give us a major environmental gain."

He said the goal is to inject virtually all the 31,000 b/d of produced water, which is expected to rise to 187,500 b/d.

Plans call for 76 wells on the main Heidrun field. Twenty-six producing wells are operational, along with 10 injection wells for sea water and one for gas.

The sea water contains high levels of sulphate, which reacts with barium in the formation water to produce deposits that can block wells.

The new injection plant planned for Heidrun will incorporate a module to remove sulphate from the seawater before it is injected. The modifications, which include three powerful water injection pumps, are due to be completed in the autumn of 2003.

Statoil operates Heidrun, on Blocks 6507/7 and 6507/8, with a 76.59% interest. Norske Conoco AS has 18.29% and Fortum Petroleum AS 5.12%. Production is about 174,000 b/d of oil.