Hurricane Energy PLC spudded the 204/30b-4 well (Warwick West) in the Greater Warwick Area (GWA) west of UK Shetland Islands on Sept. 24. The rig will plug the well before demobilizing.
Hurricane and its joint venture partner on the GWA, Spirit Energy, are evaluating results of three wells drilled and tested in 2019. Further technical analysis will be required to determine the impact on the potential for the GWA to be a single accumulation, and on volumetrics, the company said.
The flow test results confirm the presence of light, mobile oil, said Dr. Robert Trice, chief executive of Hurricane. The joint venture is assessing the optimal appraisal strategy for the GWA,” he said.
The well, drilled by the Transocean Leader semisubmersible to a total depth of 1,879 m TVDSS, intersected a 931 m horizontal section of fractured basement reservoir. It is the third in a three-well program in Hurricane’s Warwick and Lincoln areas (OGJ Online, Apr. 19, 2019; Sept. 12, 2019).
The well flowed for a total of 85 hours in a number of flowing periods at variable rates, using both an electric submersible pump (ESP) and under natural flow, while work continued to clean the well and evaluate reservoir performance. A stable rate using an ESP could not be reliably measured as the well was still in the process of cleaning up. After an extended pressure build-up period, a final flow period was conducted under controlled natural flow conditions which achieved a stable, sustainable rate of 1,300 b/d of oil with evidence of the well having cleaned up further. During this flowing period, less than 0.5% water was produced.
Initial analysis of oil samples indicates a light, 43° API oil. Further technical analysis of PVT fluid samples will now be carried out. This will include comparing the geochemical signature of oil from Warwick West with oils procured from Warwick Deep and Lincoln Crestal.
Hurricane Energy also reported on operations at Lancaster field in the West of Shetland area. On Nov. 14, the sixth cargo of crude oil from the Lancaster EPS was lifted, taking total oil sales to 2.5 MMbbl since first oil in June 2019 (OGJ Online, June 19, 2019). Average production for the remainder of the year is expected to continue to be in-line with guidance for the fourth quarter of 11,000 b/d of oil, constrained by system availability and data gathering requirements.
The company has been carrying out periods of production from wells 205/21a-6 and 205/21a-7Z separately to assess fluid dynamics and measure reservoir performance without the impact of interference from the other well.
