SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering
Volume 15, Number 2, April 2012, pp. 243-264

SPE-155504-PA

Evaluation of Long-Term Gas-Hydrate-Production Testing Locations on the Alaska North Slope

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DOI  More information 10.2118/155504-PA http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/155504-PA

Citation

  • Collett, T.S., Boswell, R., Lee, M.W., Anderson, B.J., Rose, K., and Lewis, K.A. 2012. Evaluation of Long-Term Gas-Hydrate-Production Testing Locations on the Alaska North Slope. SPE Res Eval & Eng  15 (2): 243-264. SPE-155504-PA. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/155504-PA.

Discipline Categories

  • 6.8 Fundamental Research in Reservoir Description and Dynamics
  • 6.9 Unconventional Hydrocarbon Recovery
  • 6.10 Management of Challenging Reservoirs
  • 6.6.1 Well Logging
  • 6.6.11 Formation Testing (e.g., Wireline, LWD)
  • 6.1.1 Exploration, Development, Structural Geology
  • 6.1.3 Sedimentology
  • 6.1.5 Geologic Modeling

Keywords

  • gas hydrate, gas, well logs, production

Summary

The results of short-duration formation tests in northern Alaska and Canada have further documented the energy-resource potential of gas hydrates and have justified the need for long-term gas-hydrate-production testing. Additional data acquisition and long-term production testing could improve the understanding of the response of naturally occurring gas hydrate to depressurization-induced or thermal-, chemical-, or mechanical-stimulated dissociation of gas hydrate into producible gas. The Eileen gashydrate accumulation located in the Greater Prudhoe Bay area in northern Alaska has become a focal point for gas-hydrate geologic and production studies. BP Exploration (Alaska) Incorporated and ConocoPhillips have each established research partnerships with the US Department of Energy to assess the production potential of gas hydrates in northern Alaska. A critical goal of these efforts is to identify the most suitable site for production testing. A total of seven potential locations in the Prudhoe Bay, Kuparuk River, and Milne Point production units were identified and assessed relative to their suitability as a long-term gas-hydrate-production test sites. The test-site-assessment criteria included the analysis of the geologic risk associated with encountering reservoirs for gas-hydrate testing. The site-selection process also dealt with the assessment of the operational/logistical risk associated with each of the potential test sites. From this review, a site in the Prudhoe Bay production unit was determined to be the best location for extended gas-hydrate-production testing. The work presented in this report identifies the key features of the potential test site in the Greater Prudhoe Bay area and provides new information on the nature of gas-hydrate occurrence and the potential impact of production testing on existing infrastructure at the most favorable sites. These data were obtained from well-log analysis, geological correlation and mapping, and numerical simulation.

© 2012. Society of Petroleum Engineers

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History

  • Original manuscript received: 4 March 2011
  • Meeting paper published: 8 February 2011
  • Revised manuscript received: 3 August 2011
  • Manuscript approved: 27 October 2011
  • Published online: 29 March 2012
  • Version of record: 3 April 2012