| Popis: |
Over the last two years detailed analysis has been carried out on the future production performance of all Dutch gas fields. This paper focuses on the analysis of Dutch mature gas field management up to 2030. The E&P industry has been active and successful in the Netherlands since the early sixties. Annual production of approximately 80 Bcm has been achieved since the early seventies and currently 30 Bcm of annual gas production is being targeted by EBN. Approximately 75% of gas fields, both onshore and offshore, are mature or in the tail end production phase. Declining reservoir pressures and production rates and bring several challenges in the operation of these assets. Liquid loading and salt precipitation are the major issues which have been observed during the last five years. Dutch operators have applied a number of techniques in order to overcome these production challenges. Velocity strings, foam injection and fresh water washes have been most commonly used since late nineties. These techniques do not only have an effect on recoverable reserves, they also have a pronounced effect on platform life extension. The application of production enhancement techniques may add between 15–20 Bcm to Dutch offshore reserves, using currently available technology and assuming current market conditions. The authors are of the opinion that an additional 20 Bcm (excluding Groningen field) could also be recovered if similar techniques are applied onshore. The extra recovery would enable the operation of assets for an extra five years. In other words, the recovery factor may increase from 80% to as much as 95% in some cases with the associated extension of infrastructure life. |
