U.S. oil company Byron Energy said it drilled its third successful well in the Gulf of Mexico with the finding of hydrocarbons at the F3 well on the South Marsh Island Block 71 (SM 71).
U.S. oil company Byron Energy said it drilled its third successful well in the Gulf of Mexico with the finding of hydrocarbons at the F3 well on the South Marsh Island Block 71 (SM 71).
Byron Energy holds a 50 per cent working interest and operatorship of SM 71 lease and Otto Energy has the other 50 per cent interest.
The primary target of the F3 well was the D5 Sand which logged 211 measured depth feet of oil pay (175 feet TVT net oil pay) as determined by open hole logs. While only 70 feet away from the previously drilled SM71 F2 well, the D5 Sand was 45 TVT feet thicker in the F3 and exhibits excellent rock properties with porosities in the 32 per cent range, the company said in a statement.
“The results of the SM71 F3 well in the D5 certainly were at the very high end of our expectations with the substantial increase in thickness in the D5 Sand interval,” said Maynard Smith, Byron Energy Ltd CEO.
“The other zones in the well were in line with our predrill expectations and will be useful in our reserve analysis. The results in the J1, B55, B65 and C10 Sands may also set up future drilling prospects as we finish our evaluations”.
Byron started drilling the SM 71 F2 well in early December, using the Ensco 68 jack-up rig. The well had two targets: the D5 Sand and the B65 Sand.
The Ensco 68 drilling rig will skid over to the F1 well and completion operations will begin once the F3 is suspended.
The company is now on track to begin production for the SM71 F Platform in mid-March with production ramping up over a few weeks to ensure the wells and platform are brought on line in a safe and efficient manner, Smith added.
With the additional penetration of the D5 Sand in the F3 well, Byron has re-evaluated pay counts in the F2 well based on bed geometry and well bore angle. This has resulted in an increase in TVT oil pay thickness in the F2 well from the previously reported 117 feet TVT net oil pay to 132 feet TVT net oil pay. These net pay counts will be used in the company’s annual reserve review and will result in a reserve upgrade for the D5 Sand, Byron said.
With the base of the D5 Sand in the F3 well 150 feet below the base of D5 Sand in the F2 well, the D5 Sand oil column has been further extended downdip. This means the total oil column proven by the three Byron D5 wells is 1,160 feet. The F3 well will be the second take point in the D5 Sand reservoir at SM71. The SM71 F1 well drilled in 2016 will be the other D5 producer and contains 91 feet TVT net oil pay in an updip position.
The F3 well marks the end of the 2017 drilling program. The next phase of the SM71 project will be to complete the F1, F2 and F3 wells for production utilizing modern sand control techniques common to the Gulf of Mexico to optimise production rates and longevity.
Final piping and instrumentation work on the SM71 F platform is also nearing completion, the company said, adding that the production start-up is targeted for mid-March. It is anticipated that the three wells will utilise a high percentage of the SM71 F Platform’s oil and gas production capacity.
Source: Pipeline ME
