Project Profile

Value: US$1 billion (2 and 3 phase – CAPEX)
Location: 200 kilometres northeast of Salalah, province of Dhofar, southern Oman
Capacity (separator): 30,000 m3/d of liquid and 208,907 cubic metre per day of gas
Production: 60,000 to 70,000 barrels per day (plus additional 8,000 b/d from Al-Khlata reservoir)
Reserves: 2.5 billion Permo-Carboniferous age and 2.5 billion barrels STOIIP of 21 degrees API crude
Length: 4.0 kilometre pipeline for (oil liquids)
Start-up Year: -

Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) is working on the expansion of the Marmul Polymer project with flooding enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technique to maintain and increase the current production of heavy crude oil. Discovered in 1956, the Marmul field is classified among the extreme heavy crude oil with one of the highest viscosity in the region. The Marmul heavy-oil field is located in South Oman in the province of Dhofar. The main sandstone reservoir consists of glacial deposits of Permo-Carboniferous age and contains about 2.5 billion Permo-Carboniferous age and 2.5 billion barrels STOIIP of 21 degrees API crude. Located in the south of Oman, 200 kilometres northeast of Salalah, Marmul field is mainly producing out of the Al-Khlata reservoir. With the support of the engineering services company, Mott MacDonald, PDO experimented almost all the EOR techniques: steam injection, miscible gas injection, and polymer injection. Marmul has been the first field where Oman started to use the polymer flooding solution of EOR. The purpose of this polymer flooding technique is to amplify the sweeping effect of the water injected in the reservoir.

In the first phase of the Marmul Polymer project PDO installed 27 wells and a first processing plant. The purpose of this facility is to prepare the mixture of the chemicals with water to be injected in the wells, then to treat the collected heavy crude oil to separate the water and chemicals. The crude oil is exported meanwhile the water and chemicals are recycled. In this first phase the water treatment plant has a capacity of 80,000 cubic metre per day and in parallel the polymer unit is able to prepare 17,500 cubic metre a day. Since 2010, PDO managed with this process to maintain the oil production around 60,000 to 70,000 barrels per day and to provide some additional 8,000 b/d from Al-Khlata reservoir. The project has increased recovery by 10%, delivering the highest rate of production in the field’s 30-year history.
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From this successful first experience, PDO is now considering the Marmul Polymer phases 2 and 3 that would require approximately US$1 billion capital expenditure. Still based on the proven flooding EOR technique, the phase 2 would simply add 19 wells for injection corresponding to the available capacity of the water treatment plant and polymer handling facility. Actually this Marmul polymer phase 2 project is about the optimisation of the phase 1 at minimum capital expenditure. With the Marmul Polymer phase 3, PDO is changing the scale of the project as it plans to install more than 500 wells to cost more than US$1 billion capital expenditure.

PDO is currently working on the feasibility study of this phase 3 that would make Marmul the world largest polymer flooding EOR project to include:

- 4.0 kilometre pipeline for gross liquids

- 1.1 kilometre pipeline for produced water

- Separator for 30,000 m3/d of liquid and 208,907 cubic meter per day of gas

- Free water knock out tank for inlet flow of 50,000 cm/d

- 3 Water Booster pumps each of capacity 22,000 cm/d

- Concentric Wash/ Storage unit for inlet flow of 10,000 cm/d

- 2 Indirect Fired Hot Oil Heaters each with inlet flow of 4,000 cm/d

The Marmul polymer flooding contract went to a consortium led by SNF, with Mott MacDonald as design contractor and Bahwan Engineering Company as construction contractor. It involves building water treatment and polymer preparation and injection facilities as well as the supply of chemicals for five years. Mott MacDonald have been contracted to design mechanical and electrical, civils and structural elements for the expansion of an existing oil and gas facility in order to increase the overall production. PDO are looking to tender FEED for phase 3 of the project.

Operators:

Petroleum Development Oman (PDO): Operator with 100% interest

Contractors:

Bahwan Engineering Company: EPC contract for the Marmul polymer project facilities (phase 1)

Mott MacDonald: Design mechanical and electrical, civils and structural elements

SNF: Marmul polymer flooding contract