Development of Cluster-7 Marginal Field, a case history of Mumbai offshore

Approach, Challenges and Best Practices

Saurabh pandey, P P Kulkarni, A.K. Nauriyal, V. V. Kamat- ONGC, Mumbai

spandey06@gmail.com

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Cluster-7, marginal field is located at a distance about 210 km off Mumbai city in Arabian sea
and about 20 to 40 kms south-west of Mumbai High field, the largest offshore field of India. The
marginal field was discovered in early 1990s and comprises of five small culminations of which
three are oil fields and two are oil and gas fields. These small pools have multi-layered
reservoirs comprising mainly Panvel, Mukta, Bassein pays. Additionally, Basal Clastics pay
encountered below Bassein pay also proved hydrocarbon bearing while drilling the wells for
above said objectives.

Small reserves are locked in each culmination and thus not economically feasible to develop
independently. Strategy has been made to prepare combined development plan for all the four
pools so as to make it economically viable. One platform is installed on each of four
culminations viz. Platform A, B, C and D. Each platform is six slotted platform. Structurally the
field is situated on steeply dipping south-western flank of Deep continental Shelf area. Overall
the structure is elongated Horst gradually rising towards north, thus southernmost culmination is
deepest and northern most is shallowest. These culminations are separated by faults/lows
having poor transmissibility.

The Cluster-7 field development plan has considered the potential reserves of 225 MMbbl for
development on the basis of pressure and production testing results of four exploratory wells
drilled at each culminations. Small reserves are locked in each culmination and thus not
economically feasible to develop independently. Strategy has been made to prepare combined
development plan for all the four pools so as to make it economically viable. One platform is
installed on each of four culminations viz. Platform A, B, C and D. Each platform is six slotted
platform. Scheme consists of drilling twenty wells from 4 platforms 13 oil producer, 5 water
injector and 2 Gas producers, tied back to Floating production storage and offloading (FPSO)
vessel with one of the platform. Free gas production from one platform feed the compressor and
output compressed gas is to be used for getting production from oil producers on gas lift.
Further this gas act as fuel for running the FPSO. The development scheme also envisages the
down dip water injection from three oil producing platforms for enhancing recoveries by
pressure maintenance and improving sweep efficiency.

Development of field started in late 2013 with the deployment of three rigs at each of three oil
producing platform for the development of Panvel, Mukta and marginal Bassein layers. As the
entire marginal field was delineated with single well drilled on each culmination, conventional
development approach would not have helped much. This paper focuses on the SIMEX
approach used while drilling of wells which includes the approach to find new pools, improving
the existing reserves, updating of maps on basis of real time drilling and re-positioning of wells if
required. While drilling the well for lower Mukta & Bassein pays, strategy was made to drill the
sump in low drift well with LWD (logging while drilling) so as to get the maximum information of
deeper Basal Clastics which lies immediately below Bassein Pay. Logs indicated the good

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porosity development with good oil saturation against the new pay and thus strategy to exploit
that pay was adopted.

Paper presents the challenges faced like structural variation as earlier maps were prepared on
the basis of single well, fluid anomaly, exploitation of additional pay, problem of high percentage
of CO2 and its mitigation and dispatch of oil and gas through 40 km line to main field platform.

The paper highlights the best practices that are used during the development of this marginal
field. Best practices include the acquisition of, PVT data, pressure data at regular interval,
recording of advanced electro-logs, crude sample analysis, gas analysis water sample analysis
of producer and injector wells etc. This paper also focuses on detailed analysis of acquired data
and thereby corrective measures taken resulting in production maintenance. Reservoir pressure
data acquisition campaign was undertaken after two years of production and interpreted data
was used as input in material balance calculation for estimating In-place hydrocarbons. The
same results were corroborated with newly acquired broadband data and thereby new
geological model is prepared. Pressure data analysis also indicates the immediate necessity of
water injection. Crude sample analysis helped in designing of stimulation job resulted in
manifold increase in production rates. Water sample from the producer and injector wells have
been collected for the study of ionic concentration so as to do reservoir monitoring in efficient
and better way in future.