Qatar Petroleum (QP) and Shell Qatar broke the record for drilling wells in Qatar’s North Field using an innovative approach, a senior executive told Offshore Middle East Conference 2010 which opened Tuesday at the Doha Exhibition Centre.
Speaking at the opening session, titled ‘Operators Perspectives’, Shell Qatar executive vice president Andy Brown said: “The 22 wells for Pearl Gas To Liquid (GTL) were drilled in an average time of 45 days, compared to the industry average of 75 days. The fastest well was completed and ready to produce in just 28 days.”
The three-day Offshore Middle East 2010 conference and exhibition held under the patronage of HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Industry Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah, features some of the world’s major multi-national companies engaged in oil, gas exploration, production, transportation and ancillary industries.
Success in the offshore operations in the North Field was achieved using an approach called Simultaneous Operations (SIMOPs) for the first time in Qatar, according to the Qatar News Agency. Overall the SIMOPs approach saved the State of Qatar and Shell over US$46 million in drilling costs, Brown said.
In SIMOPS, one well is drilled while perforation, stimulation and clean up operations are simultaneously conducted on a previously drilled well.
A redesign of the operations created more space for crew and equipment while the drilling rig was raised around nine storeys higher than normal. This enabled two extra levels of temporary decks to be installed for the extra equipment required for SIMOPs, Brown told the audience comprising decision-makers and professionals from oil, gas and allied industries.
The drilling operations, which took six years from when planning began, were completed without a single Lost Time Injury, he said.
Major construction of the Pearl GTL project is expected to be complete by the end of 2010, production will start in 2011 reaching full production in 2012.
