The data was gain by exploration wells, laboratory analyses and computer modelling.
Therere shown basic rock and fluid properties in the table to give a general imagination.
Development strategy
As the main reserves are located offshore, initially its planned to drill a well from artificial
island, but assuming the cost, time that would be spent for that, and the effect of the
construction to the sensitive environment of the region (its popular among tourists), the plan
changed and Extended Reach Drilling (ERD) well was decided to drill from the peninsula. It
helped to cut the time and the drilling began three years earlier 1 comparing with the previous
plan. Due to the two main reservoirs (Bridport and Sherwood), the development plan
consisted of three stages, first when Sherwood Sandstone reservoir was poor studied, the only
Bridport Sands with 6000 barrels of oil per day were under production. After the discovery of
oil rich Sherwood reservoir the second development stage (1988 to 1990) began and the
production increased ten times. Additionally, the drilling of ERD well (10.5 km length) in
1993, which is third stage, increased the reserves from 30 million barrels to 500 million
barrels2.
The ERD well was drilled with a steering of borehole bits and Electrical Submersible Pump,
whereas in Bridport reservoir therere used conventional beam pumps.
The location of wells around water, made it efficient to inject water as artificial method for
pressure support and production increase. The water produced from wells is not enough to
maintain the pressure, additional seawater from Poole Harbour is pumped through the
pipeline. In 2002 there were total 21 injector wells 1. The water injected directly to the oilbearing zones despite the initial plans, where its planned to inject at the edges of the zones1.
Production history
The top of the production reached at 101000 barrels per day in 1996 1. In 2014 the annual
production reached 6.4 million barrels/year4.
20000000
10000000
0
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
Years
of the production since 1993 can be explained by the introduction of ERD wells in Sherwood
Reservoir.
Summary
The Wytch Farm oilfield is the largest onshore oilfield in the Europe and was as experimental
arena for the testing of many new drilling techniques. Additionally, unlike other oilfields in
the Europe Wytch Farm became environmentally friendly oilfield because of the invisible
(hidden in forests) for the public facilities and Extended Reach Drilling wells, which are
located deep below the surface. Its one of the well developed fields, now the production is
decreasing.
References:
1.
http://www.southampton.ac.uk/~imw/Oil-South-Bibliography.htm#Legg
2.
http://www.geoexpro.com/articles/2014/02/wytch-farm-ploughs-ahead
3. Mohammed Alshawaf, Lanray Hammed Bakare, Francisco J. Barroso Viseras,
Aristeidis Karamessinis, Ha Nguyen, Shi Su, 2012, Wytch Farm Field development
project. Pages 1, 16, 18
4. UK government oil portal. Full production. 29th of October, 2015.
https://itportal.decc.gov.uk/pprs/full_production.htm