BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. started bringing wells back on line May 1 at its Badami field east of Prudhoe Bay. The first pipeline throughput was May 2, BP Exploration (Alaska) spokesman Paul Laird told PNA May 3.
Laird said the field was currently producing at 4,000-7,000 barrels of oil per day. Production is expected to average 3,000-4,000 barrels per day over the longer term for reservoir testing.
Laird reported that Octavio Pastrana, BP’s eastern North Slope business unit leader, said the primary reason production was resumed was to learn more about the reservoir and that production was secondary.
Natural gas is imported from Endicott for Badami production and Laird said the company was using much more aggressive gas injection than it had initially. When the field came on line last year injection was at 1,800 PSI; currently it is at 5,300 PSI.
We hope, Laird said, that the more aggressive gas injection will establish conductivity among the channels in the turbidite accumulation. Initially, he said, the channels weren’t communicating as BP had anticipated and hoped that they would.
Weather is a factor in bringing the wells back on line, Laird said: “The warmer temperatures enable us to sustain production at low throughput rates without risking plugging the pipeline.”
Production began from Badami in August; nine wells have been completed. Total production was less than 500,000 barrels when the field was shut in early in February.
