Northside - Deepwater Reservoir and Well Performance: Where have we come since Bullwinkle?
From Shell’s first Deepwater Turbidite play, Green Canyon 65 Bullwinkle fixed platform development, to Shell’s latest Gulf of Mexico Tension Leg Platform Brutus and our upcoming FPSO at Bonga in the Deepwaters off the coast of Nigeria, “what has changed”, “what have learned”, and “where are we now” with respect to our understanding of deepwater reservoirs and their performance. Expectations surrounding well rates, well ultimates, recovery factors, rock and fluid properties, and reservoir continuity all have taken step changes in absolute values or are viewed fundamentally different than when we first started. Developments dominated by mid-slope ponded mini-basins in the Gulf of Mexico are being replaced by canyon filled and unconfined channel sequences off the West coast of Africa and the east coast of Brazil. Well rates since Bullwinkle have increased by an order of magnitude. Well ultimates could reach 60 MMBOE. The key subsurface development drivers will be discussed from a historical and forward-looking perspective.
Location:
Greenspoint Club, 16925 Northchase