Project Profile
Location: Northern part of the North Sea, Norway
Reserves: 56mscm of oil, 3.9bscm of gas and 1.3Mt of natural gas liquids (NGL)
Start-up Year: 23/09/1993
Water Depth: 140 m
The Brage field lies in the northern part of the North Sea at a depth of 140m. The field is situated in blocks 31/4, 31/7 and 30/6 and primarily contains oil, along with minor quantities of gas. Statoil is the operator of the field with 32.7% interest. Partners include Talisman Energy Norge (33.84%), Faroe Petroleum (14.25%), Core Energy (12.25%), VNG Norge (4.44%) and Spring Energy Norway (2.5%). First production occurred in 1993. The peak production was achieved in 1998 at 120,000bpd. Current production is 25,000bpd. The Brage field was discovered in 1980 through the discovery well 31/4-3. As of December 2010, Brage contains recoverable reserves of 56mscm of oil, 3.9bscm of gas and 1.3Mt of natural gas liquids (NGL). The oil is of 33.7° API and contains 0.37% of sulphur. The Brage field reservoir is made of the Statfjord Formation of early Jurassic age and the Brent Group and Fensfjord Formation of middle Jurassic age. Oil and gas are also found in the Sognefjord Formation of late Jurassic age. The field reservoirs are located at a depth of 2,000m-2,300m.
Field development:
Basic engineering works commenced in 1990. The plan for development and operations was approved in 1991. Five production wells were drilled to commence oil recovery from the field. In 2008, a production well was drilled into the Bowmore structure as part of an infill and exploration drilling programme to improve oil recovery from the field. An ultra long reach water injection well into the Bowmore structure and a production well in the Fensfjord formation were drilled in 2009. Towards the end of 2009, a new production well was drilled into the Statfjord formation. The well was completed and commenced production in 2010. In 2009, Statoil tested a new technique on the Brage field which helps in improving drilling operations in unstable formations similar to those found in the field. The technique, officially known as steerable drilling liner (SDL), was developed in-house in collaboration with Baker Hughes.
Production:
Production from the Brage field commenced with five wells tied back to the Brage platform. Oil is recovered from the Statfjord and Fensfjord formations through water injection. Oil recovery from the Brent Group formation commenced in 2008 through water injection. Gas injection into the Sognefjord formation commenced in March 2009. Brage is currently in the tail phase of production although new wells have been drilled in 2010 to improve oil recovery. The field is expected to cease production in 2015. The partners are planning to drill new infill wells in 2012 and are working on finding ways to increase oil recovery.
Contracts:
In 2006, Aker Kværner was awarded a contract worth NOK150m to upgrade the water injection system on the Brage platform. The upgrade helped in improving oil recovery by boosting pressure in the reservoir. It also ensured zero emissions from the produced water. KCA DEUTAG was awarded a NOK900m contract in 2006 to drill production wells on the Brage platform. The contract also included provision for two, two-year extensions. In February 2010, Statoil awarded one of the two-year extensions to KCA DEUTAG. Under a new maintenance programme undertaken at the Brage field, Statoil has contracted DNV to document the maintenance programme. DNV will document the programme using the Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM) and Life Cycle Cost (LCC) standards. Pipetech provided its high pressure water technology for cleaning the flowlines, caisson and cooling channels at the field.
Operators:
Wintershall: Operator with 32.7% interest
Talisman Energy Norge: 33.84% interest
Faroe Petroleum: 14.25% interest
Core Energy: 12.25% interest
VNG Norge: 4.44% interest
Spring Energy Norway: 2.5% interest
Contractors:
Beerenberg: Delivery of insulation, surface treatment and scaffolding (ISS) services
Engie Fabricom: Engineering, procurement, fabrication, installation and commissioning of wells.
Aker Kværner: Upgrade the water injection system on the Brage platform and provide well services
Baker Hughes: Provide integrated drilling services
DNV: Document the maintenance programme using the Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM) and Life Cycle Cost (LCC) standards
KCA DEUTAG: Drill production wells on the Brage platform
Pipetech: Provide high pressure water technology for cleaning the flowlines, caisson and cooling channels
Ross Offshore: Provide a range of consultancy services
DNV GL: Contract by Wintershall Norge AS to provide a frame agreement for global inspection services for its developments offshore Norway. The overall contract is expected to exceed NOK 10 million (approx US$1.2 million). The term of the contract is five years, with an option for two, two-year extensions and covers all Wintershall’s projects on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). DNV GL will perform inspection, test and surveillance activities on a worldwide basis as instructed by Wintershall Norge AS. The scope of services includes: review of the Inspection and Test Plan (ITP), examination of materials, products, manufacturing processes, work procedures and/or services at Wintershall’s contractor’s premises. DNV GL will also examine contractor’s procedures, documents, quality performance and compliance with governing standards and specifications. The frame agreement will be coordinated by the DNV GL Stavanger office with resources from the Inspection Division. The frame agreement is now underway and inspection and surveillance work is planned to be carried out across a number of locations including Germany, Italy, Greece, Norway and Malaysia, where subsea equipment components and structures will be manufactured. DNV GL is also the sole supplier for the combined role of Independent Verification Body (IVB) and Third Party Design Verification scope for the subsea, umbilicals, risers and flowlines (SURF) part of the Maria field development project.