Integrated Field Development Strategy for Offshore Mature Field - A Success Story from Bekapai Field

Abstract

This paper presents the results of the exploitation strategy in the development of an offshore mature field. For Bekapai offshore mature field, the integration of the geology, reservoir, production and surface had allowed to define new opportunities for drilling, baseline production optimization and then to establishing a holistic development strategy of Bekapai field.

Bekapai is a mature oil and gas field located in the offshore Mahakam Delta, Indonesia. Bekapai field was discovered in 1972, production commenced in July 1974 and the production peak was achieved in June 1978. The hydrocarbons are accumulated in a complex multilayered reservoir, where oil, gas and different reservoir pressure presence alternately. Reservoir heterogeneity, sand production from unconsolidated reservoirs, poor vertical lift performance (no artificial lift), increasing water cut, well integrity issue and ageing surface facilities are main challenges in Bekapai field.

Today’s Bekapai development strategy therefore focuses on drilling projects, modification in several platforms for surface debottlenecking and gas lift compression project. Infill drilling activities which resumed recently give a very good result and contribute significantly to Bekapai field production. Next phase of drilling projects (conventional infill drilling, grid base drilling, deepening and step out drilling) and platform modification will be performed in 2022 and 2023 while gas lift compression project starts up expected in 2023. Tertiary oil recovery also considered as future development and long term project of Bekapai field.

Other than future development projects, optimizing baseline production and well intervention contribution are important part to arrest the field production decline and prolong the life of the field. Improvement in exploitation strategy combine with synergy from multidisciplinary team have resulted in maintaining Bekapai field production decline and better realization of reserves replacement ratio, even after 50 years of production life.

The success of these improvement efforts illustrates an extensive review of the various aspects of mature field development which proved to be an effective approach in optimizing production from a mature oil and gas field.