Regional distribution and controls on the development of post-rift turbidite systems: insights from the Paleocene of the eastern North Viking Graben, offshore Norway

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelina Dmitrieva ◽  
Christopher A.-L. Jackson ◽  
Mads Huuse ◽  
Ian A. Kane
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Regional Distribution ◽  
Passive Margin ◽  
The North ◽  
Fault Block ◽  
Basin Floor ◽  
Net To Gross ◽  
The Uk

AbstractPaleocene deep-water deposits of the Norwegian sector of the North Sea Basin are prospective for oil and gas, although little is known about their sedimentology and distribution, or the controls on their stratigraphic evolution. To help unlock the potential of this poorly explored interval, we integrate 3D seismic reflection, well logs and core data from the eastern North Viking Graben, offshore Norway. We show that thick (up to 80 m), high net to gross (N:G) (up to 90%), sandstone-rich channel-fills and sheet-like, likely lobe deposits occur on the slope–proximal basin floor, forming part of an aerially extensive fan system. Sediment dispersal and the resultant stratigraphic architecture are controlled by slope morphology. Bypass occurred on the northern, passive margin-type slope; whereas, in the south, sediment gravity currents were deflected around, and deep-water sandstones onlap and pinch-out onto an exposed rift-related fault block that generated intra-basin bathymetric relief. Pinchout of deep-water sandstone into mudstone suggests that future exploration should focus on identifying subtle stratigraphic traps on fault block flanks or at the fan fringe. This trapping style contrasts with that encountered in the UK sector of the Northern North Sea, where most Paleocene fields and discoveries are in structural traps related to the flow of Zechstein Supergroup salt.

The Cyrus Field, Block 16/28, UK North Sea

1991 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 295-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. G. Mound ◽  
I. D. Robertson ◽  
R. J. Wallis
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Field Development ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
The North ◽  
Offshore Production ◽  
Fault Block ◽  
Single Well ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Net To Gross ◽  
The Uk

AbstractThe Cyrus Oilfield is located in Block 16/28 of the UK sector of the North Sea approximately 250 km (155 miles) NE of Aberdeen and 55 km (34 miles) NE of the Forties Field. The trap consists of a broad, very low relief four-way dip closure developed over a deeper tilted fault block. The reservoir consists of submarine-fan sandstones of late Palaeocene age, belonging to the Andrew Formation. Provenance was to the NW resulting from the early Tertiary sea-level fall which exposed the East Shetland Platform. The reservoir has been sub-divided into two zones, an upper zone of interbedded sandstones and mudstones with net to gross ratios of 0.4 to 0.6 and sandstone porositites of 12% to 18%, and a lower zone of massive fine-grained sandstones plus subordinate thin shales and limestones, with net to gross ratios in excess of 0.9 and porosities averaging 20%. The reservoir is filled with undersaturated oil of 35° API and is normally pressured. The estimate of initial oil-in-place is 75 MMBBL. Development of the field is centred on the use of BP's SWOPS (Single Well Offshore Production System) vessel using two horizontal field development wells which feed into a single seabed template for offtake. Ultimate recovery from the field is estimated to be approximately 12 MMBBL.

The Magnus Field, Block 211/7a, 12a, UK North Sea

1991 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Shepherd
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Upper Jurassic ◽  
Hydrocarbon Source Rock ◽  
Submarine Fan ◽  
Oil Accumulation ◽  
The North ◽  
Fault Block ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Clay Formation

abstractMagnus is the most northerly producing field in the UK sector of the North Sea. The oil accumulation occurs within sandstones of an Upper Jurassic submarine fan sequence. The combination trap style consists of reservoir truncation by unconformity at the crest of the easterly dipping fault block structure and a stratigraphic pinchout element at the northern and southern limits of the sand rich fan. The reservoir is enveloped by the likely hydrocarbon source rock, the organic rich mudstones of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation.

Stratigraphy of the oil and gas reservoirs: UK Continental Shelf

1991 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stewart Brown
Keyword(s):  
Continental Shelf ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Sedimentary Basins ◽  
Public Domain ◽  
The Public ◽  
The North ◽  
Marine Gravity ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The Uk

The petroliferous sedimentary basins of the UK Continental Shelf are remarkable for the diversity of their reservoir strata. Reservoir rocks in fields currently in production range in age from Devonian to earliest Eocene, but significant hydrocarbon discoveries have also been made in rocks as as young as the mid-Eocene. The reservoirs are predominantly siliciclastic rocks, with facies ranging from continental fluvial and aeolian, to marine gravity flow deposits from sub-wave base environments.In this paper stratigraphic context of the producing horizons in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), principally the North Sea, is reviewed, and the sedimentation of the reservoir strata placed in an outline geological history. The main producing horizons are described in summary. Matters of stratigraphic terminology and correlation both between fields and between basins are discussed.A lithostratigraphy for the UK southern North Sea was established by Rhys (1974), and for the central and northern North Sea by Deegan & Scull (1977). Although these schemes have proved to be fairly robust, in the last 13 years the acquisition of new data plus a proliferation of new terms not fully documented in the public domain, argue strongly for a comprehensive revision and rationalization which is beyond the scope of this paper. Attempts in the public domain to standardize nomenclature across international boundaries in the North Sea, pursued by Deegan & Scull (1977) for the UK and Norwegian sectors, have lapsed for the most part in subsequent years.Economic basement in the UK North Sea can be regarded at present

25 years of UK North Sea exploration

1991 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Bowen
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
The North ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
East Midlands ◽  
Daunting Task ◽  
Shallow Wells ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Gas Fields

Any attempt to summarize 25 years of exploration for petroleum in the UK sector of the North Sea must be a daunting task. The outcome, in terms of the oil and gas fields discovered, is the subject of this volume. This introduction will attempt to outline, very briefly, some of the ups and downs of the exploration history which has led the industry to where it stands today, 25 years on (Fig. 1).When the author was at university in the early 1950s the very idea the the United Kingdom would be likely to become a significant, let alone major world producer of petroleum would have been viewed as utterly ridiculousIt is true that oil and gas indications had been encountered in wells and mines in such disparate areas as sussex, the west Midlands and the Midland Valley of Scotland and as seepages in Dorset, Lancashire and West Lothian, but these had been thoroughly investigated without the discovery of any economically significant oil or gas fields. Indeed, the only economic production at that time came from BP's small east Midlands fields based on Eakring where the first discovery had been made in 1939The first Serious attempt to explore for oil in the United Kingdom was initiated in 1918 for strategic reasons, when 11 relatively shallow wells were drilled on anticlinal features in various parts of the country. of these only one, Hardstoft-1 in Derbyshire, discovered producible oil, but attempts to follow up the discovery were unsuccessful.Exploration then

scholarly journals The Innes Field, Block 30/24, UK North Sea

2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 488-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. G. Gluyas ◽  
P. Arkley
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Upper Jurassic ◽  
The North ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Central Trough ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Water Cut ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Oil Company

AbstractThe abandoned Innes Field was within Block 30/24 on the western margin of the Central Trough in the UK sector of the North Sea. Hamilton Brothers Oil Company operated the licence, and Innes was the third commercially viable oil discovery in the block after Argyll and Duncan. It was discovered in 1983 with well 30/24-24. Three appraisal wells were drilled, one of which was successful. Oil occurs in the Early Permian Rotliegend Group sandstones sealed by Zechstein Group dolomites and Upper Jurassic shale.The discovery well and successful appraisal well were used for production. Export of light, gas-rich crude was via a 15 km pipeline to Argyll. Innes was produced using pressure decline. It was abandoned in 1992 having produced 5.8 MMbbl of oil and possibly 9.8 bcf of gas. Water cut was a few percent.Innes was re-examined between 2001 and 2003 by the Tuscan Energy/Acorn Oil and Gas partnership with a view to tying the field back to the newly redeveloped Argyll (Ardmore) Field but marginal economics and financial constraints for the two start-up companies prevented any further activity. Enquest currently owns the licence and the company has redeveloped Argyll/Ardmore, as Alma. There are no plans to redevelop Innes.

The Commercial Case for Hydrogen as a Route to Market for Offshore Wind in the North Sea

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Molly lliffe
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Power Transmission ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
The North ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Leading Position ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The Uk

Abstract The UK was the first major industrialised nation to commit to a Net Zero target by 2050, and Scotland has an even more ambitious target to reach Net Zero by 2045. To realise these targets, hydrogen will play a leading role in the decarbonisation of multiple sectors including industry, transport, heat and power. Offshore wind can be a core component of our future energy infrastructure, and the scale of its potential role in hydrogen production has recently drawn wider attention from policy makers, developers and potential users across a range of sectors. Hydrogen as a route to market for offshore wind therefore presents a transformative opportunity for the North Sea oil and gas sector and the associated UK supply chain. Existing skills and infrastructure in this region can be leveraged to achieve a leading position in this emerging clean fuel source. This opportunity is particularly relevant for sites in the North Sea which are further from shore with good wind resource, where power transmission costs and/or losses would be prohibitive. Additionally, hydrogen offers an interesting route to market for projects unable to obtain firm grid connection, for sites in regions with high grid charges, or where sufficient government revenue support for conventional power generation is not available for all good quality sites.

scholarly journals The past, present, and future of the regulation of offshore chemicals in the North Sea—a United Kingdom perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 1157-1166 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Sühring ◽  
A Cousins ◽  
L Gregory ◽  
C Moran ◽  
A Papachlimitzou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Data Generation ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The Uk

Abstract The North Sea is one of the most studied and exploited ecosystems worldwide. The multiple uses from industrial, transport, as well as recreational activities have required researchers, regulators, and legislators to understand and, where possible, to minimize any expected negative environmental impacts. As with any international sea, assessing the current pressures and management actions resulting from these activities is centred on several national and international legislative instruments. This variety of co-existing legislations makes development processes and regulatory assessments cumbersome and time consuming. Hence there is a need to integrate environmental risk assessment and management across sectors, ensuring smart, cost-effective data generation, as well as supporting and standardizing environmental practices. This paper provides an overview of the changing regulatory frameworks regarding offshore chemicals used in the oil and gas industry, and the process of chemical risk assessment conducted under the Offshore Chemical Notification Scheme (ONCS) in the UK. Our view of methodological, research, and regulatory needs and challenges that should be addressed to ensure an adequate and sustainable assessment of offshore chemical use in the North Sea is discussed. Furthermore, we discuss the issues faced regarding chemicals used in the UK oil and gas sector with respect to declining hydrocarbon production.

The UK North Sea: a history of oil and gas

2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy King
Keyword(s):  
Continuous Improvement ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Turn Of The Millennium ◽  
The North ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Partial Reversal

AbstractWith a history spanning over 50 years, the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) is one of the most explored and mature basins in the world. Over 44 Bbbl of reserves have been recovered from over 450 fields across the UKCS, enabled by continuous improvement in seismic, drilling and development technologies. Starting in 1965 with BP's West Sole discovery in the Southern Gas Basin, every sector of the UKCS has since opened up. But it is not just the discoveries that have characterized this ultra-mature region. It has weathered a turbulent history of oil prices, fiscal changes, an ever-changing corporate environment and the industry's worst offshore disaster, which serves as a reminder of the uncompromising conditions of the North Sea.Production peaked at the turn of the millennium, and it is only since 2013 that there has been a partial reversal of the declining trend. With discoveries getting scarcer and smaller, maintaining the trend will not be easy, especially with the number of companies exiting the region for more prospective global opportunities on the rise. However, with an estimated 10–20 Bbbl yet to find in the basin, there is still a lot to play for in the coming years.

The Maria Field, Block 16/29a, UK North Sea

2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 875-885 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. N. Stephens ◽  
S. Small ◽  
P. H. Wood
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Upper Jurassic ◽  
Reservoir Properties ◽  
The North ◽  
Recoverable Reserves ◽  
Fault Block ◽  
Production Wells ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Clay Formation

AbstractThe Maria oilfield is located on a fault-bounded terrace in Block 16/29a of the UK sector of the North Sea, at the intersection of the South Viking Graben and the eastern Witch Ground Graben. The field was discovered in December 1993 by the 16/29a-11Y well and was confirmed by two further appraisal wells. The reservoir consists of shoreface sandstones of the Jurassic Fulmar Formation. The Jurassic sandstones, ranging from 100 to 180 ft in thickness, have variable reservoir properties, with porosities ranging from 10 to 18% and permeabilities from 1 to 300 mD. Hydrocarbons are trapped in a truncated rotated fault block, striking NW–SE. The reservoir sequence is sealed by Kimmeridge Clay Formation and Heather Formation claystones. Geochemical analysis suggests that Middle Jurassic Pentland Formation and Upper Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay Formation mudstones have been the source of the Maria hydrocarbons. Estimated recoverable reserves are 10.6 MMbbl and 67 bcf (21.8 MMboe). Two further production wells were drilled in 2018 to access unexploited areas.

A top-down approach for quantifying methane and speciated VOC emissions from North Sea oil and gas facilities

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shona Wilde ◽  
Ruth Purvis ◽  
James Lee ◽  
James Hopkins ◽  
Alastair Lewis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Mixed Boundary ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Offshore Platforms ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Joint Project ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The Uk

<p>The North Sea is home to around 200 offshore platforms that extract oil and natural gas from beneath the sea. Total offshore emissions (carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>), nitrogen oxides (NO + NO<sub>2</sub> = NO<sub>x</sub>), nitrous oxide (N<sub>2</sub>O), sulphur dioxide (SO<sub>2</sub>), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) and total VOCs) from upstream oil and gas production in the UK increased by 7 % from 2016 to 2017. Therefore, the accurate measurement and analysis of leakage is critical for global emissions inventories and in terms of mitigating climate change. A recent study (Riddick et al., 2019) showed that on average methane leakage during normal operations is more than double what is reported to the UK National Emissions Inventory (NAEI) for each installation. Here we provide a top-down emissions estimation methodology from which emissions of CH<sub>4</sub> and up to 30 individual volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be estimated for point-source platforms. We apply a direct integration technique, and use VOC measurements obtained within downwind plumes as a tool for source identification. A total of 16 research flights were conducted as part of a joint project between the UK National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS), BEIS, the UK Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED) and Ricardo Energy & Environment to characterise emissions from platforms in the North Sea. The hydrocarbon to ethane enhancement ratio within downwind plumes, measured under well-mixed boundary layer conditions, was used to scale a 1 Hz ethane measurement from the aircraft to other hydrocarbons collected using whole air samplers and measured using GC-FID. This allowed individual VOC emission rates to be calculated and compared to existing inventories. This work highlights how a top down technique can be used to quantify emissions and also provide insight into specific emission sources, in contrast to existing methods which often fail to achieve both simultaneously.</p>

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