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Commission approves Lookout pool rules
ConocoPhillips Alaska plans first production by end of year at Moose’s Tooth unit; drilling began March 21 with GMTU MT6-03 well
Kristen Nelson Petroleum News
The Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission has approved pool rules and an injection order for ConocoPhillips Alaska’s Lookout oil pool at the Greater Moose’s Tooth unit in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. Facilities construction is underway, with first oil expected by the end of the year. Drilling of the first development well in the unit, GMTU MT6-03, began March 21. On April 20 AOGCC permitted an additional well with a lateral, GMTU MT6-05 and GMTU MT6-05L1.
Construction at Greater Moose’s Tooth began in 2016-17, including the MT6 drilling pad, four pipelines, road and bridges from MT6 to CD5.
Lookout will be the first pool developed entirely within NPR-A. ConocoPhillips’ predecessor ARCO Alaska began 2-D seismic acquisition in NPR-A in 1993, 1995 and 1996 and 3-D acquisition in 1998-2000.
Lookout was discovered in 2001 with the Lookout No. 1 exploration well, which has been suspended. In 2002, the company drilled and tested the Lookout No. 2. The commission said that well produced at a reported rate of 3,351 barrels per day of oil, 7 million cubic feet of natural gas and 158 barrels of water. The oil gravity at that well measured 40 degrees API. The No. 2 well was plugged and abandoned.
The Greater Mooses Tooth unit was formed in 2008 and expanded in 2009.
Nine wells are planned at Lookout, four horizontal production and five horizontal injection wells. The commission said in its May 29 pool rules order that an injector and a producer, “located in the thickest portion of the reservoir, are planned to be dual-lateral wells.”
Pool The commission said the Lookout oil pool “encompasses the Upper Jurassic-aged, shallow marine, Alpine C and D sandstones,” and is identified as the accumulation common to and correlating with the interval in the Lookout No. 1 well from 7,833 to 8,000 feet measured depth.
Within the proposed development area, the Lookout oil pool ranges from 129 gross feet in the Lookout No. 1 well to 64 gross feet in the Lookout No. 2 well. The commission said a long-term interference test between the Lookout No. 1 and Lookout No. 2 wells “confirms reservoir connectivity over most of the reservoir,” although there may be local compartmentalization.
No gas or water contacts have been encountered within the Lookout oil pool, and none of the exploratory or development wells within the Colville River unit or the Greater Moose’s Tooth unit have encountered an oil-water contact in the Jurassic-aged reservoir, the commission said.
Recovery The commission said original oil in place at Lookout is an estimated 70-150 million barrels, with primary recovery estimated at 20 percent, 14-30 million barrels. Primary plus waterflood is estimated at recovery of 45 percent of the original oil in place, 31-67 million barrels, and primary plus waterflood plus water-alternating-enriched-gas-injection enhanced is estimated to recover 60 percent of original oil in place, 42-90 million barrels.
Injection water for the project will be produced water and water from the Kuparuk seawater treatment plant.
Injection fluids In its May 29 injection order for Lookout, the commission said authorized injection fluids, in addition to water from the seawater treatment plant and produced water, include: enriched hydrocarbon gas - a blend of Colville River unit and Greater Moose’s Tooth unit lean gas enriched with indigenous heavy gas components; lean gas from the Alpine Central Facility; fluids used during hydraulic stimulation; tracer survey fluids to monitor reservoir performance; fluids used to improve near wellbore injectivity; fluids used to seal wellbore intervals; fluids associated with freeze protection; and standard oilfield chemicals such as corrosion inhibiter and scale inhibiter.
The commission said primary and miscellaneous fluids approved for injection are expected to be compatible with the Lookout oil pool as they have been shown to be compatible in the adjacent and analogous Alpine oil pool.
“Reservoir simulation results show that an enriched water-alternating-gas injection project will significantly improve reserves recovery from the pool vs. primary and secondary recovery,” the commission said.
ConocoPhillips Alaska is the operator and is in the process of acquiring the working owner interests previously held by Anadarko Petroleum Corp. Surface owners at Lookout at Kuukpik Corp. and the federal Bureau of Land Management; subsurface owners are the Arctic Slope Regional Corp. and BLM.
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