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SPE 28835
Gannet C: Geological Risks in a Marginal Field Development
R.HJ. Oppermann and C.J. Grant, Shell U.K.E&P
MYdght

1994, SwbtY of Patrolaum. Englnaera, Inc.

This paper wee prepared fcf prEwnfation at the Eumpaen Patroleum Ganference held in London, U.K., 25-27 Octcber 1994.
This paper wes aalacfed for praaenfation by an SPE Program CommHte4 follcwing review of information contained in an ebtiraCf submitted by the author(s). Contents of the papar,
an PrWOnt@, have not bHn revlawad by the Society of Pefrolaum Englneara and ara subject to correction by the author(s). The material, as pfeaentad, dwa not ndca?wr ily reflect
any pwitbn of the SWbfy of Patroleum Ewinaara, ha officers, or membwa. Pwm wewtad
at SpE matings me 8ub@ tO publb~~n r@J~ by EdK@al COmm~*s Of the *iefy
of Pelroleum Engimeem. PafrrIiwbtr 10copy is ra=efdcfedto an abafrwf of not morefhm SOOwmrds.Illuafratbns may IW be copied. Tha abatracf should contain wn8F4cwus acknowledgment
of where end by whom the paper is prewntad, Write Librarian, SPE, P.O. Sox 83SS36, Richardson, TX 750SMS3S, U.S.A. Telex 16S245 SPEUT.

ABSTRACT

Shell/Esso block 21/30 (Fig. 1), is the subject of this

paper.

This paper reviews the means by which geological

uncertainty has been addressed in a complex
marginal field development. The Garnet C field
development carries a significant element of risk
resulting from a challenging drilling environment
and large geological uncertainty due to poor
structural defiiihion on sekniic. m
~i~~tm~
extreme high- and low-case structure maps during
a re-map~ing exercise following completion of the
first drdhng round, a better grasp of the possible
up- and down-sides to the development has been
obtained. This case study shows that targeting
horizontal weiis using high- and low-case
scenarios enables the geologist to optimise the
well location within the confines of available data
and to anticipate and react confidently to the
unexpected drilling result.
1. INTRODUCTION
C:,-az
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discovered within and developed from sandstones of

Tertiary age in the UK Central North Sea. Large
discoveries of more than 500 million barrels stock
tank oil include the Forties and Nelson fields.
Numerous marginal discoveries have also been made
and one of these, the Gannet C field within

The Gannet C oil and gas field, comprising

Paleocene and Eocene turbidite reservoirs dip-closed
against a piercing salt diapir, was discovered in
1982. The field contains a 400 ft oil rim overlain by
a substantial gas cap. STOIIP and GIIP are
<fl Tb@fcth
nf nil and
.=.-+~_-+.J
+LU- k; tha nrrlsr u.nf 1I <V
.1. .
.s w..
GSulllatvu
uv Iil LIW ULUW
L.
condensate and 200 Bscf of gas. Gannet C is the
most
southerly
of the four
hydrocarbon
accumulations which form the Gannet Field
Development (l). The field is being developed in
two stages, first by depletion of the oil rim, followed
by Wlowdownof the gas cap, Schediu:edto take place
in 2001.
Among the Gannet fields, the Gannet C structure is
the most complex and least understood due to poor
seismic definition, arising from steep dips and the
presence of an overlying gas chimney. As a result,
there is considerable uncertainty in the structural
Irntinn
m
~~@mW,
~$.=,. nf. the
...w field
.....= .mm-l
... -v
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.-.-=- element
--+-------Of
geological risk is carried in the field development. In
1991, following an integrated petroleum and well
engineering study, the field development plan was
ctianged from an original Annex B development
involving ten conventially deviated wells to a
development comprising seven horizontal wells. By

307

GANNET C - GEOLOGICAL RISKS IN A MARGINAL FIELD DEVELOPMENT

drilling horizontal wells the geological risk involved

in penetrating the reservoir at an optimal elevation
below the GOC is significantly reduced. As a result,
a horizontal well development incorporated fewer
costly side-tracks and so reduced total drillhg costs,
This coupled with an increase in ultimate recovery
improved significantly the net present value of the
Gannet project. The first drilling round commenced
in earnest in 1992, and by mid 1993 four horizontal
producers and a gas injector had been successfully
driiied and compieted.
This paper reviews the results of the first drilling
round and describes how a new approach to
handling geological uncertainties has provided the
means to quanti~ geological and drilling risks, to
assess uncertainties in reserves and to optimise
fiture horizontal well trajectories in light of a risked
nl
,.11 C+ml
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development well of the second drilling round, is
used as a case study to demonstrate the value of this
approach.

SPE 28835

The principal reservoir at Gannet C is the Paleocene

Forties Formation, which comprises up to 600 ft of
sandy sediments deposited in a mid-fan setting on a
north-easterly prograding submarine fan. Prior to
development
drilling, seismic mapping and
exploratiordappraisal well results had indicated that
sand-prone sections of the Early Eocene Rogaland
Group and Tay Sand FormatioL which are
hydrocarbon bearing in the adjacent Gannet A and B
fields, did not extend into the Gannet C hydrocarbon
column. Both were thought to shale-out on the
northern and eastern flanks of Gannet C below the
level of the original oil-water contact.
3. FIRST DRJLLING ROUND:
JtESULTS AND IMPLICATIONS
The three horizontal wells drilled into the southern
flank of the fieid proved the viabiiky of a subsea
horizontal development, yielding offtake rates 2 to 3
times higher than conventional wells.
However, horizontal well GC2-02, which was drilled
into the steeply dipping and unappraised northern
flank of the field, encountered unexpected
geological and drilling problems. The azimuth of the
well relative to the mapped field geomet~, aimed to
take the horizontal hole section through two
penetrations of the Forties Formation. On drilling,
the well encountered the Forties Formation
shallower and thinner than expected which led to the
well being side-tracked, Severe difficulties were
experienced while drilling GC2-02S 1 through the
Lista shale section between the two Forties
penetrations (possibly due to borehole stability
problems), resulting in the loss of the second
penetration.

2. BACKGROUND
The Gannet C field is part of the Gannet Group of
fields which also includes Gannet & B and D. The
Gannet Group development is based on subsea
developments of the Gannet B, C and D fields which
are connected to a minimum facilities platform at
Gannet A. Hydrocarbons are trapped in a number of
Paleocene and Eocene turtidhe reservoirs.
The seismic dataset used in mapping the Gannet C
field forms part of a 3D survey shot in 1983 over the
greater Gannet area. The original survey has an
inhe spacing of 75m and a crossline spacing of
25m. In 1991, the data was interpolated in the poststack domain to a 25m x 25m bin spacing, zero
phased and remigrated.

GC2-02 also encountered three hydrocarbon-bearing

sand reservoirs above the Forties Formation.
Palynological analysis has shown the lowermost of
these sands to be equivalent chronostratigraphically
to the Eocene Rogaland Sand Formation (Fig. 4).
The other two belong to the Tay Sand Formation.
Correlation with well data fi-om nearby Gannet A
and B fields revealed reservoirs equivalent
lithostratigraphically to the Upper, Middle and
Lower Tay sands, while RFT data indicated that
these
Tay reservoirs
are
in
pressure

Gannet C is located at a depth of between 6000 to

7000 ft TVSS. Almost circular in map view (Fig. 2),
the field is strongly asymmetric in profile, having a
steep northern flank, where the structural dip
exceeds 70 degrees, and a less steep southern flank
with dips typically in the range of 10 to 30 degrees.
This asymmetry is thought to reflect an asymmetry
in the geometry of the intruding salt diapir (Fig. 3).

308

R
GRANT
. ...H. ...T. (3PPFRMANIWC.J.
-. - -..

~p~ ~gg~ ~

communication
Formation.

with

the

underlying

Forties

Well GC2-02 showed the northern flank of the field

to be more steeply dipping and to have a different
geometry than previously mapped. Failure to filly
understand the impact of geological uncertainty on
the possible range of configurations of the northern
flank of the field resulted in a sub-optimal side-track
hole being drilled and a significant loss in well
potential.
4. J.UNCERTAINTIES
Seismic interpretation and its subsequent depth
conversion are the means most commonly used
today to define subsurface structural geometries. At
Gannet C, the seismic interpretation is hampered by
a number of factors:
.A,...a..X..n.,lJ,.L
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uq.m bluwl
pl-vwlb
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Mccp

Three maps have therefore been constructed for

each depth surface and for each isochore: a mostlikely, a high-case and a low-case map, representing
approximate probabilities of 50, 5 and 95Mo
respectively.
A checklist of all the geological uncertainties that
might have an impact on gross rock volume
estimates was established. Some ten possible
uncertainty elements were defined. To compute and
then sum together the contributions of each of these
is a painstaking job and one fraught with ambiguity.
To assist in this process, the uncertainties were
ranked in terms of their potential impact into first(most significant)
and second-order (less significant)

The
first-order variables were given
mriables.
)recedence when computing depth uncertainty
naps.
Fable 1: Uncertainties Gannet C Rernawming

imnuinu
. . . . ..~...~

of the reservoir
low-density of the original 3D seismic survey
. disappearance of reflections on structure due to
hydrocarbon effects
areal extent of the piercing salt diapir
complex fault pattern
the presence of a gas chimney above the field

First order

I1
I

. dip uncertainty (on-structure)

- positional accuracy of co-ordinate framework
- lateral extent of reservoirs
- sand isochores away from well control
Second order

Together these factors produce considerable

unceminty in the accuracy of the seismic mapping.
Seismic uncertainties combine with uncertainties in
the overburden velocity field to produce a large
uncertainty in the top reservoir depth conversion
away from well control. With uncertainties in
reservoir thickness and quality, and, in the case of
the Tay reservoirs, reservoir distributio~ also being
significant, it can clearly be seen that geological
uncertainties place severe constraints on fbture
development options.

- position of OWC
- Two-way Time uncertainty (on and off-structure)
- velocity map uncertainties
- Time-Depth conversion of isochrones:
- dip uncertainty (off-stmture)
- salt volume
- fault compartmentalisation and hydrocarbon charge
(Tay sands only)

1 ..--l
. fi-~m;m+sr
k
+k~
nf
the
laL=l
~ .UrlU=l
L~llLy111
LIlwnnchinnino
~wol.lu.ul.a .
...w r.n-ordinate framework (i.e. the approximate 40m
horizontal uncertainty in CDP bin position) when
combined with the structural dip imparts the greatest
uncertainty to the top Forties Formation depth map.
The horizontal and vertical extent of the salt dlapir
also has a large impact on the volumetric of the
Forties Formation, but has little or no impact on Tay
sand distribution as these reservoirs are all thought
to shale out below the point of salt piercement. For

TL I IIG

The history of well GC2-02 showed that there was

considerable room for improvement in the way in
which the large mapping uncertainties of the Gannet
C field were managed. The first step taken was the
identification of all possible uncertainties which
impact on reservoir mapping. Priority was then
given to quantifying these uncertainties with the aim
of producing a series of alternative depth and
isochore maps for the extreme high and low cases.

GANNET C - GEOLOGICAL RISKS IN A MARGINAL FIELD DEVELOPMENT

the latter reservoirs the lateral distribution of

resemoir facies, sand thickness and reservoir quality
are construed as the main areas of uncertainty. Of
secondary importance are the depth uncertainties
ascribed to the depth conversion procedure. There is
also a risk to charge should the Tay sands be
compartmentalised by faulting.
5. QUANTIFICATION OF
UNCERTAINTY
Before the uncertainties identified above were
l;lr.alw +fim I?rw+;a En
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cpctified => -n mnat
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map was created. This map formed the base from
which all the other maps were derived. In the
absence of interpretable seismic over the field are% a
top reservoir two-way time map was produced by
phantoming. This was then depth converted using a
velocity contour map based on well check-shot data.
..W.W+hm
..LW.
I .W..,vwu.
Mfsties a? we!!s wer
mfi~ Theother mostlikely depth maps were generated by isochoring up
and down from this top Forties depth map using a
most-likely set of isochore maps derived from
seismic mapping off-structure which was depth
converted and tied with well data over the field area.
To quantify the depth uncertainty at the level of the
top Forties Formation, the most-likely depth grid
was differentiated. Differentiation of a depth grid
yields a grid whose nodes represent the tangent of
dip. This grid was multiplied by the maximum
horizontal uncertainty in the co-ordinate reference
frame to yield a grid in true vertical depth which
represents the maximum possible depth differential
at a point of known structural dip. This was tied to
the well locations - where there is no uncertainty and modified around the south of the field where the
depth uncertainty is constrained by the maximum
allowable lateral uncertainty in the position of the
OWC as determined flom the seismic.
From the above grid, negative and positive
uncertainty grids were generated and added to the
top Forties Formation depth map to produce
extreme high- and low-case maps.

SPE 28835

isochore, approximating to one standard deviation.

High- and low-case base Forties Formation depth
grids were created by isochoring downwards
maintaining the extremes in depth relative to the
most-likely top Forties depth grid. For example, the
high case-base Forties depth map was created by
isochoring downward from the high case Top
Forties depth map using the low-case Forties
Formation isochore. A similar procedure was
adopted in creating high and low-case grids for the
other mapped lithostratigraphic surfaces.
TIE nmv depth mlaps and isochores were used in
estimating the fill range of field reserves. The large
uncertainties uncovered in the mapping exercise
were found to be clearly reflected in the large range
in gross rock volumes assigned to the Forties and
Tay/Rogaland reservoirs.
6. RISK AssEssRfEhTT
As part of an integrated petroleundwell engineering
review of the Gannet C field development options
following the GC2-02 Tay/Rogaland
sands
discovery, geological, drilling and completion risks
to the development of the Tay/Rogaland/Forties
reservoirs were assessed on a well by well basis for
various development scenarios (l).
Two general development options were screened
against an original base case Forties development
plan:
1) a hybrid (combined Tay/Rogakmd/Forties)
development, and
2) a dedicated (dedicated Tay/Rogaland and
Forties) development plan.
For each option the number of wells required to
optimise recovery was established. As a first step,
the overall development plans were risked with
respect to the geological uncetiainties and the
probabilities of needing geological side-tracks to
achieve each wells objectives. The drilling of pilot
holes in selected wells in order to reduce geological
risks was additionally considered.

High and Low case isochore maps for the six layers
situated between the top Forties and top-most Tay
sand were created. High and low case isochores
were assumed to be +/-15 VO of the most-likely

Several factors were incorporated

geological risk assessment:

310

into

the

SPE28835

R.H.-J. OPPERMANN/C.J. GRANT

- geological uncertainty (extracted fkomthe three

mapping scenarios)
- well-path orientation of planned wells with
respect to formation strike (risk of sub optimal or
no reservoir penetration at all)
- pinch-out uncertainties of Tay/Rogaland sands
- risk of penetrating fauit zones
- risk of Tay/Rogaland hydrocarbon charge
(compartmentalisation)
- risk reduction through the drilling of pilot holes
The following general observations can be made.
Firstly, the geological risk to the development
options is greatest across the steeper dipping
northern flank of the field compared to the flatter
dipping southern flank. As a result, development of
the Tay reserves was shown to contain an increased
risk over a straightfonvard Forties development.
Secondly, horizontal drainage lengths have to be
balanced with geological uncertainty and drilling risk
assessment. Economic horizontal wells in Gannet C
require horizontal drainage lengths in excess of
2,300 ft and for optimal sweep are required to
penetrate the entire Forties reservoir section.
Horizontal wells drilled closer to strike yield
potentially long horizontal sections but carry higher
geological and dtiikjij
ikh
~~~~~~~d tO
drilled at high angles to the structure. Wells drilled
more parallel to formation strike carry the risk that
the reservoir might be prematurely exited or missed
altogether if the actual structural configuration
deviates from the most-likely mapping. This also
adds to the drilling risk, as there is an increased risk
of encountering longer, potentially unstable shale
sections in between reservoir sands (1). The risk of
achieving only a suboptimal penetration of the
reservoir (i.e. the failure to penetrate the entire
reservoir) is fiu-therrnore considerably increased. In
either case a loss in ukimate recovery can be
expected, which may justify the driiiin~ d a
geological side-track.
w~ii~

7. GC1-01 CASE STUDY

Well Planning: General
On the basis of reservoir simulation studies,
horizontal wells in Gannet C are drilled on an
elevation of 6575 ft TVSS, which is 124 fl below

the field-wide gas-oil contact. In order to allow an

easier appreciation of the impact of geological
uncertainty on the positioning of fiture development
wells, depth slices at this optimum well elevation
were created for the most-likely, high- and low-case
maps. These were found to be extremely usefi.din all
~a.rcdnpme~t
and
Weii
plating
discussions as well
Ubvb, ,,.. . -.
as in quick mapping updates following first well
results.
Depth slicing is iin-thermore seen not only as
providing an important vehicle to visualise a
complex field and its uncertainties, but also as a tool
helping to perform uncertainty assessments during
well planning as shown in this case study.
The integrated review of the Tay/Rogaland/Forties
development strategy (i j recominiended that both
reservoirs be developed simultaneously using a
combination of dedicated Forties and commingled
Tay/Rogaland/Forties wells (i.e. a Hybriddevelopment).
Well Planning: GC 1-01
The location of the fifth horizontal well in the
Gannet C field was selected to provide a Forties
Formation drainage point on the undrilled western
flank of the field w~lst appraising the Lower Tay
(Rogaland) sands at low risk to the Forties
development. The principal objective of the GC 1-01
well was to provide a safe, economic Forties
Formation horizontal oil producer.
Seismic mapping had shown the Lower Tay sand to
also extend onto the north-western flank of the field
with a resulting high expectation of encountering a
producible reservoir section Should sufficient Tay
reserves be firmed up by the well and both the
Forties and Lower Tay sands seen to be in
cmmmn~cation, it was planned to complete the well
on the Lower Tay sand oil rim as well.
Uncertainties were assessed in an attempt to
higMght up front the conSkkidie
&OiO#G2bi
and
operational risks involved in drilling the well:
- the elevation, dip and thickness of the Forties
reservoir objective

311

GANNET C - GEOLOGICAL RISKS IN A MARGINAL FIELD DEVELOPMENT

- the presence, lateral extent, thickness and

reservoir quality of the Lower Tay sand objective
- the thickness and mechanical stability of intraand inter-resemoir shales
- the spatial position ofl and throw on, faults.
In order to minimise the risk of well GC 1-01 failing
to achieve its objectives a pilot hole was planned to
be drilled. The pilot hole was seen to be required in
order to optimise the location of the horizontal well
trajectory, for reservoir appraisal purposes, and to
determine the structural geometry of the Northwest
flank prior to committing to the horizontal section.
The horizontal entry point at the Lower Tay sand
and/or Forties sand levels, and the finalised
L-=---.,.1
11~1 [Lullttll

..,=ll

WG1l

+em:ae+nn,
U aJVUWl

w~~~

to

&

&~ermjned

from the pilot hole results. It was also realised

during the assessment that the pilot hole information
would only reduce uncertainties and give better
structural control in the area near the pilot hole on
the north-western flank of the field. Depth
uncertainties away from well control even afier the
drilling of a pilot hole would still remain large
enough on the west flank of the field to potentially
compromise the objectives of the well.
Reservoir simulations showed that to optimally
develop the Forties reservoir, well GC1-01 should
drill a fi.dlpenetration of the Forties sand, so that oil
would not be Iefl unswept behind any intra-reservoir
shale layers. The well would benefit greatly if it were
then drilled back through the Forties to the top, i.e.
if it could achieve a fill double penetration of the
Forties reservoir yet minimizing the horizontal
penetration of the problematic Lista shales. Given
the uncertainties in the depth mapping a fill
penetration of the Forties was identified as being
difficult to achieve. On the basis of the above risk
assessment it was recommended in the well proposal
to consider a side-track to the horizontal well if an
incomplete or shorter than expected reservoir
section was encountered. Depth slices at the
optimum horizontal target elevation were used as an
aid in well planning.
Three different horizontal well paths were evaluated
(Fig. 5). No well path was found which could ideally
realise all objectives while at the same time having
-11-- .--.:-1
d-l.
.-. +.ic,
LU m.!uc~~~
~i~,i~,k!.
all ~ W l~lllltll
1 lSLQ

312

SPE 28835

In the most-likely mapping scenario, Path 1 achieves

a potentially long horizontal section within the
Lower Tay and Forties sands. The disadvantages to
this path would be if the Forties were to come in low
on the west flank of the field. With respect to the
low-case mapping scenario, the well would only
penetrate a reduced Forties section at the top of the
forrnatio~ and as a result would lose about one
million barrels of recoverable oil relative to an ideal
Forties penetration.
Path 2 is the ideal trajectory relative to the mosti[keiy mapping scenario. Thisweii path improves the
Forties penetration if the most-likely or low-case
maps were to be realised. The main risk to the
success of this well path would be if the Forties were
to come in high, resulting in a significantly shorter
Forties section being drilled and a subsequent loss of
about one million barrels of recoverable oil relative
to an ideai Forties penetration.
A third horizontal well trajectory, Path 3, was
considered in the event that the pilot hole would not
encounter any or only inferior quality Lower Tay
sands, in which case the well would be committed to
a Forties only completion. The well would then be
drilled more oblique to formation strike in order to
minimise the risk to a fill penetration of the Forties
objective. This path, however, is not without its
share of risk in that should the base Forties come in
high on the west flank of the field, penetration length
and hence ultimate recovery in the Forties would be
lost.
Path 1 (Fig. 5) was evaluated as having the lowest
overall risk and consequently was proposed in the
integrated petroleundwell engineering proposal as a
compromise between trying to reduce the risks to
the main objective, the Forties sand, opportunely
appraising the development potential of the Lower
Tay sand, and keeping the well safe within the
acknowledged geological and drilling uncertainties.
GC1-01 Well results
Well GC1-01 was drilled during first quarter 1994.
Good quality, oil bearing Lower Tay sands were
found incising into the Forties Formation in the pilot
hole. Both Lower Tay and Forties reservoirs were
encountered deeper and thicker than prognosticated.

SPE28835

R.H.-J. OPPERMANN/C.J. GRANT

After updating maps for the pilot hole results the

structure appeared to be developed towards a lowcase scenario. As a result, Path 2 (Fig.5) was chosen
as the optimised horizontal well trajectory.
In the horizontal side-track of the well (GC1-01 S1)
both Lower Tay and Top Forties were encountered
as prognosticated. After drilling about 1,075 fl of
Forties Formation the well prematurely drilled out of
the reservoir into the underlying Llsta shales. Based
on an economic analysis of the expected loss in
reserves due to the drainage length reduction versus
the cost of a geological side-track, the well was
subsequently open-hole, horizontally side-tracked on
a more westerly azimuth in an attempt to achieve a
longer drainage length within the Forties Formation
@lg.6).

The high risk of drilliig this well at the proposed

location in terms of geological and drilling
uncertainties was identified and highlighted during
the well proposal preparation. The high risk of
potentially having to perform a geological side-track
even with the drilling of a pilot hole in the well was
also correctly identified up front and included in a
risked economic evaluation. Various well paths were
assessed during the well planning stage as the large
geological uncertainties on the western flank of the
field were found to impact significantly on well
reserves. These well paths formed a contingency
basis from which to choose an optimised, risked
horizontal well path following the pilot hole results.
The evaluation of uncertainty ranges additionally
fhwidin
he!ped in q~~~~~v
be taken when the geological structure proved to
differ from expectation in pilot and horizontal holes.
J

Premature penetration of the base Forties indicated

that the Forties reservoir at the target elevation was
situated tirther west and more steeply dipping than
previously. A quick evaluation performed ai-ler
drilling of GC1-01 S1 showed the western flank of
the field to be closer to the high-case scenario,
whereas the north-western flank of the field, in the
vicinity of the pilot hole penetration, resembled the
low-case scenario, indicating a change in formation
strike when compared to the strike estimated on the
most-likely maps prior to drilling the well. Based on
this evaluation targets for GC 1-01S2 were defined
to the west of the old well path.

-.-.----g

mrrectk

Wtims

to

Given the large degree of uncertainty and the high

risk nature of this well, the final well result is
evaluated as a great success.
8. CONCLUDING REMARKS
The Gannet C development carries a significant
element of risk resulting Ikom a challenjjing drilliig
environment and large geological uncertainty due to
poor seismic resolution close to the salt dome.
An integrated review of the Gannet C development
plan included detailed geological uncertainty
mapping and risk analysis. This data was used during
tihe pianning of the fiftinhorizontal wefl in the fieid.
Uncertainty mapping provided the means to:

During drilling of the side-track (GC1-01 S2),

correlation with GC 1-01S1 indicated an even more
pronounced trend of the western flank towards the
high-case mapping, resulting in the decision to steer
the well during drilling fiu-ther to the West of the
structure in order to optimise reservoir penetration.
The well successfidly achieved a total horizontal
penetration of some 450 ft of Lower Tay sands and
about 2,750 R of reservoir sands within the Forties
....-~ TnI D U1
,.c
1 I 77n
Fmnmtm before reaclmg d. -pkUICU
11,
I 1u
AHBDF.
h
The above case study shows that targeting
horizontal wells using uncertainty envelopes enables
well locations to be optimised within the confines of
available data and to anticipate and react confidently
to the unexpected drilling result.
313

1) assess uncertainties in reserves,

2) properly quanti$ geological and drilling risks as
input for the review of the Tay/Rogaland/Forties
development options, and
3) optimise the positioning of horizontal wells in
1:-L+
ac
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planning and drilling stages.
Various depth scenarios were used as a platform
from which to successfidly evaluate and quantifi
development project risk. Depth slicing was seen not
only as providing an important vehicle to visualise a

GANNET C - GEOLOGICAL RISKS IN A MARGINAL FIELD DEVELOPMENT

complex field and its uncertainties, but also as a tool

helping to petiorm uncertainty assessments.
The presented GC 1-01 case study shows that
targeting horizontal wells using high- and low-case
mapping scenarios in a complex structural setting,
with large geological uncertainty, enables the
geologist to optimise the well location within the
confines of available dat~ create contingency plans
to deal with unexpected drilling results, and to
quickly prepare remedial actions.
The correct identification and quantification of the
major geological (and drilling) risks are of crucial
importance to the success of a well or an entire field
development. The balanced management of risks,
taking account of uncertainty ranges and
probabilities in order to maximise profitability, is the
preferred way ahead in the years to come.
9. ACKNOWLEDGEME NTS
The authors would like to thank both Shell U.K.
Exploration and Production, and Esso Exploration
and Production U.K. Ltd., for their kind permission
to publish this paper,
10. REFEREN CES
(1)

Lane, I., Early, R.K., and Holtslag, R.J.: Cost

Effective Field Development Planning and Risk
Assessment, paper SPE 28891.

11. UNITS

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GANNET
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318