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Shell sets record at Princess
Petroleum News
Shell Exploration & Production Co. has established several company and industry firsts with the recent startup of subsea wells at its Princess development, including a drilling depth record for the Gulf of Mexico of 33,200 feet, the company said Jan. 5.
The previous depth record, including the water column of 4,695 feet, reportedly was held by ChevronTexaco at its Gulf Tonga prospect at Green Canyon Block 727. That well was drilled to a depth of 31,824 feet, which beat the previous record by 700 feet. The first producing well at Princess, Ursa A10, was spud in early 2002 by Shell’s Ursa rig and drilled to a depth of 27,122 feet, including water depth.
Princess, located about 140 miles southeast of New Orleans, also is Shell’s first development in the Gulf to use 15,000-psi subsea equipment, the company said. It also includes an intervention system on the subsea trees’ blowout preventer, a first for industry that’s expected to significantly reduce maintenance costs.
Princess is situated on Mississippi Canyon blocks 765 and 766, in a water depth of 3,650 feet, and is considered to be a phased development. Subsea production began Dec. 17 and continues to ramp up, flowing from one well at an approximate rate of 9,000 barrels of oil and 15 million cubic feet of gas per day, Shell said.
The initial phase of development consists of a Shell Ursa tension leg platform well (A10) and an expandable three-well subsea system tied back to Ursa less than four miles away. The Ursa A10 well began production in the fourth quarter of 2002 and reached peak output in early 2003, with 22,500 barrels of oil and 41 million cubic feet of gas per day. Ultimate recovery estimated at 175 million boe Peak production from the initial stage of development, when completed, is estimated to be 55,000 barrels of oil and 110 million cubic feet of gas per day. Ultimate recovery for the project is estimated to be 175 million barrels of oil equivalent, Shell said.
The Princess field is a subsalt accumulation with five commercial pay sands, with depth ranges for sands extending from roughly 16,500 feet to 20,200 feet below the ocean floor. The average net sand thickness ranges from about 40 to 110 feet. API gravity is 28 degrees.
Total project cost for Princess’ initial phase of development, including the Ursa platform and initial A10 well, plus the three well subsea system, was pegged by Shell at about $440 million, excluding lease costs. Shell acquired the leases in 1990 and the leases containing the Princess accumulation were brought into the Ursa unit in 2000.
Options for a follow-up phase-two development at Princess will depend on the outcome of wells in the initial phase, Shell said. All of Ursa’s production, including output from Princess, is currently sent via an 18 inch diameter oil pipeline and a 20 inch diameter natural gas pipeline to Shell’s West Delta Block 143 gathering platform, located about 47 miles from Ursa.
Shell holds a 45 percent interest in Princess and is operator. Other working interest owners, who held positions in the Ursa unit before Princess was annexed, are BP with 23 percent, ExxonMobil with 16 percent and ConocoPhillips with 16 percent.
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