Fulmar Oil Field

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Fulmar Oil Field
North Sea location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Fulmar Oil Field
Country Scotland, United Kingdom
Region Central North Sea
Block30/16, 30/11b
Offshore/onshoreoffshore
Coordinates 56°29′00″N2°8′00″E / 56.48333°N 2.13333°E / 56.48333; 2.13333 Coordinates: 56°29′00″N2°8′00″E / 56.48333°N 2.13333°E / 56.48333; 2.13333
Operator Repsol Sinopec Resources UK Ltd. [1]
Field history
Discovery1975
Start of production1982
Production
Estimated oil in place73.42 million tonnes
(~ 85.56×10^6 m3 or 538.2 million  bbl) [2]
Estimated gas in place4.09×10^9 m3 (144×10^9 cu ft)
Producing formationsUpper Jurassic Fulmar Sandstone

The Fulmar Oilfield is situated 312 km east of Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom in block number 30/16 and 30/11b. It is operated by Repsol Sinopec who took over from the previous operator, Shell at the end of 2006. At this time Talisman also purchased the equity of the other partners ExxonMobil and Amerada Hess. The field was discovered in December 1975 by well 30/16-6 in a water depth of 82 metres. Estimated ultimate recovery is 544 million barrels (86.5×106 m3) of oil. It is named after the fulmar, a sea bird.

The oil reservoir is located at a depth of 3,050 metres.

The "Fulmar A platform" operates above the oilfield. Production started in February 1982 from the Fulmar 'A' platform. This platform is a steel, 8 legged jacket designed by McDermott Engineering and constructed at Nigg, Easter Ross, Scotland. This jacket weighs 12,400 tonnes and supports a topside weight of around 22,560 tonnes. The jacket and platform were installed in July 1979 and June 1980. [3]

Design data for the installations in the Fulmar field is summarized below. [4]

Fulmar installations design data
InstallationFulmar AFulmar ARFulmar mooring terminalFulmar FSU
TypeSteel jacketSteel jacket bridge link to Fulmar ASingle Anchor Leg Mooring (SALM)Tanker
FunctionDrilling, production, accommodationWellheadLoading tankersOil storage
Location56°29’37”N 02°09’17”E56°28’38”N 02°07’54”E56°28’38”N 02°07’54”E
Water depth, metres83.583.58282
Fabrication substructureHighlands Fabricators NiggRedpath, MethilRSV RotterdamMitsubishi Japan, converted by CNC
Topsides designMcDermott, LondonMcDermott, LondonExxon Production ResearchCNC France
Topside weight, tonnes22,0302601966210,658 (DWT)
Storage, barrelsNil1,368,247
Accommodation (crew)240NilNil91
Legs841
Piles3286
Well slots366
Wells16 production, 10 water injection, 2 gas injection5
Throughput oil, barrels per day (bpd)180,00090,000180,000
Water injection, bpd20,000
Platform installedJune 1980June 1979May 1981May 1981
Production startMay 1982February 1982May 1982May 1982
Oil production toSALM by 2.3 km 16-inch pipeline (1982)Fulmar ATankerSALM
Gas production toSt Fergus by 290 km 20-inch pipeline (1986)

The topsides facilities included capability to drill, produce, meter, pump oil and gas. It can also inject both gas and water. Production is exported via the Norpipe system to Teesside.

Associated natural gas from the reservoir is separated and used to power electrical generation with the excess being transported by the Fulmar Gas Pipeline to St. Fergus.

Previously oil was exported by using an oil tanker anchored to the sea bed. The Medora Floating Storage Offloading (FSO) vessel broke free on the evening of 24 December 1988 narrowly missing the BP operated Clyde platform in the process. [5]

At that time Fulmar Alpha was host to a BBC crew who, not only, reported on the event but later delivered a live watchnight service broadcast from the platform in memory of the Piper Alpha disaster. [6] Some of the same BBC crew having come directly from reporting on the Lockerbie disaster. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Brent oilfield Former oilfield in the North Sea

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Auk oilfield

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Cormorant oilfield

The Cormorant oilfield is located 161 kilometres (100 mi) north east of Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland, in block number 211/26a. It was discovered in September 1972 at a depth of 150 metres (490 ft). Estimated recovery is 90 million barrels of oil. The oil reservoir is located at a depth of 2,895 metres (9,498 ft). The discovery well, 211/26-1 was drilled by semi submersible rig Staflo.

Tern oilfield

Platform Name - Tern Alpha.

Valhall oil field

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Forties Oil Field

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Miller oilfield

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Hutton oilfield

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Magnus oilfield

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The Thistle oil field is a large oil field in the Northern sector of the North Sea. The oil field, discovered in September 1972 by Signal Oil and Gas Company, is produced over the Thistle Alpha platform, located 125 nautical miles Northeast of Sumburgh, Shetland Islands and 275 nautical miles Northeast of Aberdeen, Scotland.

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The Heather oil field is a significant crude oil producing field in the UK sector of the northern North Sea, 458 km north-north-east of Aberdeen. Production of oil started in 1978 and ceased in 2019, the Heather Alpha installation is currently (2021) undergoing decommissioning.

The Tartan oil field is a significant crude oil producing field in the UK sector of the North Sea, 187 km north-east of Aberdeen. Production of oil started in 1981 and ceased in 2020, the Tartan Alpha installation is currently (2021) undergoing decommissioning.

The Clyde oil field is a crude oil producing field in the UK sector of the North Sea, 290 km east-south-east of Aberdeen. Production of oil started in 1987 and the field is still operational (2021).

The Maureen oil field is a partially depleted crude oil field in the UK sector of the central North Sea, 262 km north-east of Aberdeen. Oil was produced from the field reservoir by the Maureen A platform between 1983 and 1999. Proposals to further exploit the residual hydrocarbons in the field have yet to be implemented.

References

  1. DECC Fields Index Archived March 12, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  2. DTI Brown Book 2001 Archived 2001-11-14 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Department of Trade and Industry (1994). The Energy Report. London: HMSO. p. 141. ISBN   0115153802.
  4. Oilfield Publications Limited (1985). The North Sea Platform Guide. Ledbury: Oilfield Publications Limited. pp. 255–261.
  5. "On This Day: Oilfields crippled after storage ship drifts". BBC News. 24 December 1988. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
  6. "On This Day: Dozens feared dead in Piper Alpha oil blaze". BBC News. 6 July 1988. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
  7. "On This Day : Jumbo jet crashes onto Lockerbie". BBC News. 21 December 1988. Retrieved 19 September 2010.