Petroleum Development Oman has approved a $500 million waterflood to turn Lekhwair field into one of Oman's biggest oil and gas producers.
The project will boost production to a little more than 100,000 b/d by 1994 from the current 24,000 b/d for the field in Northwest Oman (see map, OGJ, May 11, 1989, p. 34).
The field is linked by pipeline to the transportation system for oil from central and southern Oman but will require a new pipeline to handle gas shipments.
PDO is 60% owned by the government of Oman.
The Royal Dutch Shell Group has 34%, Total-CFP 4%, and Partex (Oman) Corp. 2%. PDO, the biggest producer in Oman, will play a major part in plans to boost national oil production from 640,000 b/d to 700,000 b/d and sustain that level.
Since 1984, a pilot waterflood has been under way in Lekhwair field with 17 injectors and 16 producers. PDO said the pilot demonstrated the feasibility of the larger waterflood that will now proceed.
WHAT'S PLANNED
Boosting Lekhwair production to 100,000 b/d will require the drilling of 126 more production wells and 47 water injectors. Drilling will start in 1991 and continue until 1995.
The project also will require 10 remote manifold stations to collect oil and natural gas.
Glass reinforced epoxy flow lines will be laid to move the mixture to a central production station, where water treatment units for high pressure injection will be installed.
PDO said the program is based on a successful high pressure injection test in one of the injection wells.
This test success showed that sufficiently high injection rates can be achieved to allow an inverted nine spot pattern of wells.
PDO said the pattern yields major savings, with an average one injection well to every three producers.
The new program will produce 141 MMcfd of gas that will be used for gas lift in the field with four large four stage compressors, each driven by a 9,200 kw motor with a variable speed gearbox.
Other gas will move through a new 68 mile, 16 in. pipeline to the Oman government's processing plant at Yibal, where it will be used to back out gas from Yibal and Natih fields.
Lekhwair gas also will move from Yibal through an existing pipeline to Fahud oil field, where it will be used for gas lift.
PDO will use a number of new techniques in the expanded waterflood. These include a computerized distributed control system to monitor production and injection systems.
Another innovation for PDO will be the use of a Sulferox gas sweetening plant to remove hydrogen sulfide from the natural gas stream and reduce it to pure sulfur.
CONTRACT AWARDS
PDO has divided the project into a number of contracts.
Four international groups-Brown & Root, McDermott International, Saipem-Snamprogetti, and TPL of Italy-have been invited to bid for the design, procurement, and construction contract for the main oil and gas facilities. An award will be made by the middle of the year.
Separate contracts will be awarded for drilling, gas pipeline construction, and for a 50,000 kw power station that will be combined with a similar project for power generation in Saih Nihayda field in Central Oman.
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