Wireline Spring 2018

MER | Captain Field

EOR for starters

“Successful enhanced oil recovery (EOR) can play a significant role in maximising economic recovery from the UK Continental Shelf (MER UK) by increasing the volume of recovery, extending field life, creating and maintaining jobs, helping to stimulate field redevelopments and deferring decommissioning,” enthuses Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) area manager, Eric Marston. So, encouraging industry uptake of EOR is an integral theme of the joint OGA- industry MER UK Asset Stewardship Board, with a delivery programme that sets out near-term and long-term priorities and opportunities in this space. The OGA’s ambition for EOR is to: • Drive economic development of 250 million barrels of incremental reserves primarily through polymer EOR over the next decade; work with operators and the supply chain to support existing projects; ensure readiness for future projects; and drive risk reduction by technical and economic improvement.

• Demonstrate a proven offshore operation of low-salinity EOR by 2021 and encourage EOR evaluations for all new projects.

• Advance the next tranche of EOR technologies and develop a roadmap for their economic implementation.

To create the right conditions to meet this ambition, the following areas are considered crucial to advance polymer EOR:

• Cost reduction – the creation of a competitive, robust supply chain to improve polymer EOR economics and reduce risk.

• Collaboration – share lessons learnt to build EOR knowledge and competency on the UKCS and reduce barriers to development at both producing and future fields; collective approaches will be developed to manage the risk profile of EOR developments and mitigate common risks.

• Sustainability – identify potential standardisation of EOR-related technologies such as industry standards for testing polymers.

To this end, the OGA has published a guide to lessons learnt with input from Chevron’s Captain team, Shell, BP’s Quad 204 Schiehallion project and Statoil’s Mariner programme. The publication, designed to help oil and gas operators apply polymer EOR more widely on the UKCS, explores the size of the prize, the benefits of the technology, and key areas for collaboration including testing and standardisation; health, safety and environment considerations; and de-risking such projects.

Download the guidance at http://bit.ly/OGApolymerEOR.

It’s good to be on an asset where something experienced people who are dedicating a lot of their time to help me and others develop. “ so innovative is happening, and I’m working with

and potential to investors. Chevron Upstream Europe managing director, Greta Lydecker, concludes: “The future of the North Sea depends on technology development and deployment to extend the life of existing assets, better define resource potential and increase the economic viability of small pools. “Chevron’s decision to proceed with the first phase of Captain EOR is testament to our commitment to advancing technology in the pursuit of the UK Government’s and industry’s joint maximising economic recovery

strategy, and aligned with Chevron Upstream’s strategy of extracting value from our existing asset base. I’m pleased with the collaboration of our critical business partners in the supply chain who have helped us develop this technology. Our polymer provider is a key part of the team and we are growing this technology together.”

http://bit.ly/ChevronCaptainField

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