Block 15/13a - HOOD Discovery

Block 15/13a is situated approximately 19kms NE of the Piper Field on the edge of the Witch Ground Graben in the UK Central North Sea. The block was awarded in 1972 in the 4th round to licence P198 with BP as operator and Iranian Oil Company UK Ltd as partner with 50%equity.

The Hood discovered after drilling well 15/13-2 in 1975 targeted the Upper Jurassic Piper Sandstone. Five wells have so far been drilled on this Block. The Hood discovery consists of a combined structure dip closure to the west, north and south and a stratigraphic pinch-out of the Piper Sandstone to the east which is been penetrated with four oil wells.

Regionally there is a good deal of seismic data in the Block. Five campaign of 2D data was acquired by BP and the latest 3D seismic was acquired in 15/13a in 2000 by Enterprise Oil. The oil in place and reserve of the Block is estimated to be about 75 & 33 mmstb respectively with upside to more than 100 & 45 mmstb. Hood discovery contains 45 & 21 mmstb of OIIP and Reserve respectively. Development of Hood with a plateau production of 8000stb/d can be designed as subsea tie back to Piper field (19km) or using FPSO and subsea wells.

Upside potential of oil reserve is expected in the two unexplored structures in the Block and other stratigraphic piper pinch out.

 Block 3/29a - Rhum

The Rhum field as the largest remaining undeveloped gas reservoir in the UK Continental Shelf lies in Block 3/29a was discovered in 1977 by well 3/29a-2. An earlier well (3/29-1) which was drilled in 1973 was abounded to the high pressure gas. The Rhum field is located 380km North East of Aberdeen in a water depth of 109m and some 44km north of the BP-Operated Bruce field. Rhum received development approval from DTI on 21st May 2003. The Field production has started in Dec 2005 and contains reserve of about 0.8 trillion cubic feet (about 140 million barrels of boe) of gas condensate. The reservoir is high pressure, high temperature (HPHT) at pressures of 12,700 psia and temperatures of 150° Celsius and is owned 50% by BP and 50% by IOC UK Ltd.

Development of Rhum consists of 3 subsea wells tieback to the Bruce Compression Reception (CR) platform where the gas will be dried and co-mingled with Bruce field gas and compressed for export via the Frigg (UK) gas pipeline to St Fergus onshore terminal. All three wells are connected to a subsea central manifold, which are tied-back to the Bruce platform through a 44km insulated subsea pipe-in-pipe 22 inch high Integrity, Pressure Protection System (HIPPS) protected export pipeline. A new riser, ESDV, separator, slugcatcher and associated utility systems have been installed on the Bruce CR platform. Control of the facilities is via an umbilical run from the Bruce Platform to the field.

Rhum project is a unique set of challenge dealing with high reservoir pressures and temperatures, combined with the length of subsea tie-back which makes it as a world first project.