APPRAISAL WELL HIKES SKUA RESERVES ESTIMATE

Results from an appraisal well have boosted the reserves estimate for Skua oil field in Australia's Timor Sea. A BHP Petroleum Pty. Ltd. group earlier this year cut the field's reserves estimate after processing new 3-D seismic data (OGJ, Mar. 11, p. 46). The field is scheduled to start up in late December.

May 6, 1991

2 min read

Results from an appraisal well have boosted the reserves estimate for Skua oil field in Australia's Timor Sea.

A BHP Petroleum Pty. Ltd. group earlier this year cut the field's reserves estimate after processing new 3-D seismic data (OGJ, Mar. 11, p. 46). The field is scheduled to start up in late December.

BHP group's 8 Skua cut about 47 m of oil column apparently free of expected interbedded shales that would have posed permeability problems and thus production concerns. It also encountered a 4 m gas gap. Two cores were taken, and logging is under way. The well is to be completed as an oil producer.

Although the latest results are unlikely to restore the original reserves estimate of 25-30 million bbl, they do bolster an estimate closer to 20 million bbl than the 10-15 million bbl pegged after the 3-D results. The new data will be incorporated into a computer model of the reservoir under way along with results of another appraisal well.

BHP immediately will spud 9 Skua in the northeastern portion of the field.

At the same time, work continues on development plans involving conversion of the Skua Venture tanker into a floating storage/production system and fabrication and installation of a floating riser.