Downloaded from http://mem.lyellcollection.

org/ at Duke University on August 23, 2012

Geological Society, London, Memoirs

The Captain Field, Block 13/22a, UK North Sea

S. J. Pinnock, A. R. J. Clitheroe and P. T. S. Rose

Geological Society, London, Memoirs 2003, v.20; p431-441.

doi: 10.1144/GSL.MEM.2003.020.01.35

Email alerting click here to receive free e-mail alerts when new articles cite this article
service
Permission click here to seek permission to re-use all or part of this article
request
Subscribe click here to subscribe to Geological Society, London, Memoirs or the Lyell
Collection

Notes

© The Geological Society of London 2012

 Downloaded from http://mem.lyellcollection.org/ at Duke University on August 23, 2012

The Captain Field, Block 13/22a, UK North Sea

S. J. P I N N O C K 1 & A . R . J. C L I T H E R O E 2'3
Updated b y P. T. S. R O S E 2'4
1 Texaco Ltd., 1 Westferry Circus, Canary Wharf, London E l 4 4HA, UK
Present address." EDCO Oil & Gas Ltd, 39 Portman Square, London, W I H 6LS, UK
2 Texaco Ltd., Langlands House, Huntly St., Aberdeen, ABIO 1SH, UK (e-mail rosept@texaco.com)
3 Present address: ChevronTexaco Upstream Europe, Seafield House, Hill of Rubislaw, Aberdeen AB15 6XL, UK
4 Present address." Landmark E A M E Ltd, Wellheads Crescent, Dyce, Aberdeen AB21 7GA, UK

Abstract: The Captain Field is located in Block 13/22a in the Western Moray Firth Basin of the UK North Sea, 80 miles NE of
Aberdeen in a water depth of 340 ft. Hydrocarbons are trapped in two geographical regions, the Main and Eastern closures,
both with a significant stratigraphic pinchout component. The principal reservoirs consist of turbidite sandstones of Lower
Cretaceous age which have been informally subdivided into two stratigraphic units comprising the Upper and Lower Captain
Sandstones. At the base of the preserved Jurassic section the Heather Sandstone, Oxfordian in age, provides a secondary
reservoir. Reservoir quality is uniformly excellent in the Lower Cretaceous with in situ, Klinkenberg corrected permeability
averaging 7 Darcies and porosity in the range 28-34%. The reservoir is generally poorly consolidated sandstone with the depth
to the crest of the field at -2700 ft TVDss. The reservoirs contain a total oil-in-place of 1000 MMBO. The Upper Captain
Sandstone has a small associated gas cap containing 16 BCF gas-in-place. The oil is heavy, by North Sea standards, with oil
gravity ranging from 19~ to 21 ~ API and has high in situ viscosity, 150 to 47 cP, at the mean reservoir temperature of 87~ The
fluid properties and offshore location necessitate the employment of innovative horizontal drilling methods, completion design
and artificial lift technology in order to achieve an economically viable field development. Extended reach horizontal wells, with
reservoir completion lengths of up to 8000ft, are drilled for all oil producers and water injectors. Development risks were
significantly reduced following two appraisal drilling campaigns in 1990 and 1993 culminating with the successful drilling
and extended testing of a prototype horizontal field development well (13/22a-10). The field is being developed in two phases,
Area A and Area B. First oil production commenced from the Captain platform in March 1997 from Area A and the field now
produces at between 50 000 and 70 000 BOPD. Area B development is now underway with first oil planned for December 2000.
Completion of this phase of the development will increase the plateau production rate to 85 000 BOPD.

T h e C a p t a i n Field is located o n the western m a r g i n o f the H a l i b u t consists o f turbidite s a n d s t o n e s , i n f o r m a l l y referred to as the U p p e r

H o r s t ( C a p t a i n Ridge) in the W e s t e r n M o r a y F i r t h region o f the a n d L o w e r C a p t a i n S a n d s t o n e . V a r i a t i o n s in relief o f closure across
U K N o r t h Sea (Fig. 1). T h e field c o m p r i s e s a three-way dip closed the s t r u c t u r e c o m b i n e d w i t h internal reservoir d i s t r i b u t i o n lead to
structure a n d s t r a t i g r a p h i c p i n c h o u t trap. T h e principal reservoir the f o r m a t i o n o f three s t r u c t u r a l regions w i t h i n the field ( M a i n ,

Fig. 1. Structural setting of the Western Moray Firth Basin (after Roberts et al. 1990) showing the location of the Captain Field and regional distribution of the
Captain Sandstone Member (from Rose 1999).

GLUYAS,J. G. & HICHENS,H. M. (eds) 2003. UnitedKingdom Oil and Gas Fields,
Commemorative Millennium Volume. Geological Society, London, Memoir, 20, 431-441. 431
 Downloaded from http://mem.lyellcollection.org/ at Duke University on August 23, 2012

432 S. J. P I N N O C K & A. R. J. C L I T H E R O E

ea~

,.s=

+..;.

C,.)

o
[..,

e,i
 Downloaded from http://mem.lyellcollection.org/ at Duke University on August 23, 2012
UTII0m'IMW
m~ 1 I W N
|, J Company. The field was interpreted to extend into Block 13/17, and
" 1 |-
[ ::;:; - l
[ :: ( l 9 -
o
r :|!
t,u
- - -
FJR.Y o ,.
L to unfavourable water mobility, and the potential for early water
9 ,
"o :: 1!
J 9
-
m
'i
w
Fig. 3. Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous stratigraphy, Captain type
well 13/22a-7.
Eastern and Southern Terrace, see Fig. 2). The Captain Sandstones
are Late Aptian in age (Fig. 3) and are poorly consolidated, exhibit-
ing excellent porosity and permeability (Table 1). The Oxfordian-
Kimmeridgian Heather Sandstone Member provides a secondary
reservoir (Fig. 3). The accumulations are large with a combined
STOIIP of 1000 MMBO. Although the field was discovered in 1977
the viscous nature of the crude oil inhibited earlier economic devel-
opment. However, advances in horizontal drilling technology
during the 1980s prompted a full and detailed re-evaluation of the
discovery, leading to extended appraisal programmes in the early
1990s. Captain is one of the first offshore fields in the North Sea
to be developed exclusively with horizontal wells. A well-head
production platform was installed over the western part of the field
(Area A, Fig. 4) in the summer of 1996 and tied back to a floating
production, storage and off-loading vessel, initiating production
from the Captain Field in March 1997. The eastern part of the field,
Area B (Fig. 4), is currently under development with first oil prod-
uction planned for December 2000. Development of Area B will
increase the Captain Field fluid processing capacity with construc-
tion of a bridge-linked processing platform next to the Area A well-
head platform. This paper updates Pinnock & Clitheroe (1997)
which documented the Captain Field history up to the initiation of
the development phase.
History
Texaco North Sea UK Limited acquired a 100% interest in Block
13/22 through the fourth UK Round of licensing in March 1972.
The original licence, P237, which also included Blocks 14/20, 15/7,
15/16, 15/23 and 20/5, underwent a 50% relinquishment in March
CAPTAIN FIELD 433
1978. This saw Texaco's holding in 13/22 reduced to the area
around the present day Captain Field. Following the development
of the Tartan and Buchan fields, on Blocks 15/16 and 20/5
respectively, the licence was reassigned to P324. The Captain Field
HI tl~ lies wholly in part Block 13/22a, operated by Texaco North Sea UK
on this basis Texaco was awarded licence P809 in the 1994 Four-
teenth UK Round. Subsequent evaluations of appraisal well data
questioned this assumption and the 13/17 licence was relinquished
in 1999. In April 1997 the Korea Captain Company Ltd, a joint
venture between the Korean National Oil Company and Hanwha
Energy Inc., acquired a 15% interest in the Captain Field.
The Captain Field was discovered in 1977 by the drilling of the
wildcat exploration well 13/22-1. Although over 200 ft of oil column
was encountered the well failed to flow during a conventional well
test. Subsequent evaluation of reverse-circulated oil samples showed
the accumulation to consist of a relatively heavy oil (19 ~API) with
~ ~.
an estimated viscosity, at reservoir conditions, of up to 200 cP. Due
breakthrough and high water cut from prospective vertical or norm-
ally deviated production wells, economic development was consid-
ered to be highly problematic at that time. However, later advances
in horizontal drilling technology through the mid 1980s, led to
consideration of alternative options for development of Captain.
An initial appraisal programme was undertaken during the
period 1989 to 1990, with the drilling of six wells. The first of these,
vertical well 13/22a-2, successfully production tested the accumula-
tion at 740 BOPD from 60 ft of perforated interval, the oil being
lifted by an electrical submersible pump (ESP). Subsequent vertical
wells 13/22a-3, -5, -6 and -7 partially appraised the Main area of clo-
sure (Fig. 2). Well 13/22a-8 was drilled and completed with a 1000 ft
horizontal section, in the Lower Captain Sandstone reservoir, and
demonstrated the feasibility of drilling and completing horizontal
wells in the poorly consolidated reservoirs. The well was pumped at
6600 BOPD, the rate being restricted by the surface test equipment.
Following evaluation of the 1990 well results, and the process-
ing and interpretation of the full field 3D seismic survey acquired in
that year, the commercial viability of the field was established.
The subsequent ambitious 1993 appraisal drilling campaign was
designed to further delineate the Main area of closure, explore the
Eastern area of closure, carry out a water coning test, and to drill
and perform a long term production test from an extended reach
horizontal well. The geological results of this programme confirmed
the size of the Cretaceous accumulation together with the discovery
of oil in the Heather Sandstone Member at the base of the local
Jurassic section. The 90 day production in 13/22a-10 demonstrated
that high productivity was achievable (150 bbls/psi/day PI) and on
this basis a design rate of 15 000 BOPD was thought to be reason-
able for Captain horizontal development wells. These positive results
enabled the development to proceed, and ultimately, the submission
of the field development plan in 1994.
Field development has been phased because of the requirement
for at least two drilling centres to effectively develop and produce all
currently proven hydrocarbons. The initial development area, de-
noted Area A and covering the western sector of the Captain Field
(Fig. 4), contains a Central manned drilling and Production Facility
(CPF). The CPF comprises a Well-head Protection Platform (WPP),
installed in August 1996, tied back through a suite of pipelines to a
Floating Production, Storage and Oflloading vessel (FPSO) from
which crude oil is exported by shuttle tanker. A drilling template
was installed in 1995 and seven Area A development wells were
successfully drilled that year using a semi-submersible drilling rig
to allow earliest plateau production to be achieved. Since platform
installation a further 13 development wells had been drilled by
January 1999. First oil production from the Captain Field was
established in March 1997. After early teething problems with the
water supply and water injection systems, between 50 000 and 70 000
BOPD have been produced from the field. The engineering aspects
of the Area A development are discussed by Pallent et al. (1995),
Etebar (1997), Lach (1997), Tavendale (1997), Cohen (1997), Cohen
& Dallas (1997) and Sutton (1997).
 Downloaded from http://mem.lyellcollection.org/ at Duke University on August 23, 2012

434 S.J. PINNOCK & A. R. J. C L I T H E R O E

.fi

kI,

c.,.)
'4
 Downloaded from http://mem.lyellcollection.org/ at Duke University on August 23, 2012
CAPTAIN FIELD
Exploitation of Area B the eastern sector of Captain (Fig. 4),
will comprise the second stage, and is an integral part of the devel-
opment. The area B wells will be drilled from a sub-sea template
tied back to a new processing platform bridge-linked to the Area A
drilling platform. It is planned to lift oil in the sub-sea wells using
hydraulic down-hole pumps, the first field-wide application of this
technology in the North Sea. Hydraulic pumps are being used to
mitigate the perceived inherent unreliability of electrical motors and
for their superior gas handling capacity. The latter point is of key
importance to the Area B development as the oil is overlain by a
free gas cap over much of the area. The Area B facilities are cur-
rently under construction with a planned start up date in the 4th
Quarter 2000. Completion of these facilities will increase peak oil
production capacity to 100000 BOPD from a current design of
60 000 BOPD. Water handling capacity will increase from 230 000
BWPD with the Area A facilities to 400 000 BWPD after develop-
ment of Area B.]
Field stratigraphy
The stratigraphic succession within the Western Moray Firth Basin
was influenced by the intermittent activity of a series of major fault
systems. Basin formation began in the Permian (Roberts et al.
1990), in response to N-S orientated extensional forces. Evolution
of the basin continued into the Jurassic, with the creation of a
complex series of smaller basins by rotational block faulting under
an extensional regime (Underhill 1991). Jurassic sediments are
absent across the crest of the Halibut Horst, confirming this as a
positive feature for most of this period. The Captain Ridge, the
westerly extension of the Halibut Horst, was an important Jurassic
footwall crest. The Jurassic forms a thickening wedge to the north
and dramatically thickens to the south in the West Halibut Basin.
Seismo-stratigraphic interpretation indicates that Lower Cre-
taceous sediments on-lap the Upper Jurassic section over the main
structural highs in the Western Moray Firth Basin. Wedge-shaped
fault aprons of early Lower Cretaceous sediment occur along the
hanging walls of the major faults within the basin and are uncon-
formable with respect to the underlying strata. It is inferred that
major block rotation during the Upper Jurassic was followed by
infilling of the basin topography during the Lower Cretaceous, with-
out further significant tectonism. The overlying Chalk Group was
deposited from pelagic suspension fall-out during a period of rela-
tive tectonic quiescence, and draped the Lower Cretaceous sea floor
topography. Subsequent Tertiary uplift of the western-most portion
of the Moray Firth Basin led to erosion of the Chalk Group and the
Tertiary to the west of the Smith Bank Graben (see Fig. 1 for
location).
The type well for the stratigraphy of the Captain Field is
13/22a-7 (Fig. 3). This well was drilled to a total depth of 3950 ft
and encountered sediments from Tertiary to Devonian in age. The
pre-Chalk Mesozoic section comprises a condensed series of inter-
bedded sandstones and shales lying unconformably on the Devon-
ian. No remnant Permo-Triassic section is preserved across the
Captain Field, although it is well developed to the north on the
Smith Bank High, leading to the interpretation that the Captain
Ridge was a positive feature at that time. Several unconformities
occur within the Mesozoic succession on the Captain Ridge, again
confirming this as a long lived structural high.
The Upper Jurassic Heather Sandstone Member varies from
Lower Oxfordian to Kimmeridgian in age. The diachronous nature
of these sandstones across the field area can be demonstrated from
the high density of well control; the oldest beds occurring in the
west. This supports the regional Moray Firth Basin on-lap trend for
basal Upper Jurassic sands (Underhill & Partington 1993), although
it is likely that the ridge plunged westwards more steeply than
the overall regional dip, allowing the rapid local diachroneity. The
Heather Sandstone Member is interpreted to reflect a transgres-
sive retrogradational package of shallow marine sandstones that
form the basin margin equivalents of the more basinal, shale prone,
Heather Formation. The sandstones are typically fine-medium
435
grained, becoming coarser grained towards the east, and contain
a significant silicified sponge spicule component. Seismic inter-
pretation suggests these sandstones represent pre- to early syn-rift
deposition across the Captain Ridge and are capped by syn-rift deep
marine Kimmeridgian shales. The Kimmeridge Clay Formation is
attenuated and condensed in the area of the Captain Field and
consists primarily of silty claystones, although one turbiditic sand-
stone unit is locally developed in the Mid Volgian. The Jurassic
succession has been progressively eroded eastwards along the
Captain Ridge by the Base Cretaceous Unconformity such that
only a thin, remnant (Kimmeridgian shale) section is preserved in
well 13/22a-3.
The Lower Cretaceous interval records the passive infill of the
half graben topography formed by basal Cretaceous tectonism.
Again, the Captain Ridge formed a structural high, plunging to the
west. The oldest and thickest Lower Cretaceous section occurs in
the northwest of Block 13/22a with the westerly plunging ridge on-
lapped progressively eastwards. Early Hauterivian sands occur to
the west whilst the Lower Cretaceous in well 13/22a-3 to the east is
represented only by Late Aptian shales. The basal Cretaceous sands
which initiate onlap of the Captain Ridge are assigned to the
Coracle Sandstone Member of the Valhall/Wick Sandstone Forma-
tion (Johnson & Lott 1993) and are informally referred to as the
Lower Wick Sandstone. These are overlain by Early Barremian
distal, low density turbidite silts and shales with occasional sands.
An Upper Barremian unconformity has been identified through field
biostratigraphic studies, and is supported by data from other wells in
the Western Moray Firth Basin. Above this unconformity lie
the two reservoir sands of the Captain Sandstone Member. Both the
Lower and Upper Captain Sandstones are dated as Late Aptian,
consistent with the time of maximum Aptian coarse clastic devel-
opment elsewhere in the Moray Firth Basin.
A regional isochore map for the Aptian Captain Sandstone
shows that the thickest sand is preserved to the north of the Captain
Field against the Wick Fault (Fig. 1 cf. Johnson & Lott 1993). The
sandstones are generally featureless and massive, dewatering struc-
tures and mud clast horizons are the most common sedimentary
features seen in the sands. The encasing mudstones consist of parallel
laminated distal turbidites and pelagic mudstones interbedded with
abundant slump deposits. The sandstones are interpreted as high-
density turbidite deposits but abundant glauconite indicates that the
sandstones were stored originally on a shallow shelf. The isochore
distribution described above implies that the shelfal area was the
East Shetland Platform. It is suggested that the sands were rede-
posited in the deeper water depths to the south of the East Shetland
Platform during a period of relative sea-level low stand.
The distributions of the Upper and Lower Captain Sandstone
show strongly contrasting geometries over the Captain Field. The
Upper Captain Sandstone pinches out to the south and does not
cross the crest of the ridge whereas the Lower Captain Sandstone
forms a restricted (2 km wide) thick fairway that crosses the ridge in
a north northwest to south southeast orientation (Figs 5 and 6).
Biostratigraphic data indicate that that the Lower Captain Sand-
stone overlays older sediments (Upper Hauterivian) in the thick
centre of the fairway whereas in the thin marginal zones the Lower
Captain Sandstone lies on Lower Aptian claystone. These relation-
ships imply that the Lower Captain Sandstone was deposited in a
pre-cut submarine channel that cut across the Captain Ridge. The
geometry implied by this model has been confirmed by development
drilling. The Upper Captain Sandstone is interpreted as a series
of stacked unconfined turbidite lobes that did not cross the Cap-
tain Ridge. The Captain Ridge appears to have been an important
positive feature that influenced deposition throughout the Aptian.
Only thin age-equivalent sands have been encountered in the
West Halibut Basin immediately to the south of the Captain Field.
Thicker Aptian turbidite reservoir sands occur along the south-
ern margin of the Halibut Horst in the Blake, Cromarty and
Goldeneye Fields and on the eastern margin of the Moray Firth
Basin (for example in the Britannia Field). The relationship of the
Captain Sandstone Member with these other occurrences is, at
present, unclear.
 Downloaded from http://mem.lyellcollection.org/ at Duke University on August 23, 2012

436 S . J . P I N N O C K & A. R. J. CLITHEROE

..-.k

o
.,...,a
t-'q

t"q

,,...

r~
O

9
o

g
o

. ,....i

.=_
+..a

.$

o g
r~

...a
O
9

,.sz:
L
9
Z
~d
 Downloaded from http://mem.lyellcollection.org/ at Duke University on August 23, 2012
CAPTAIN FIELD
Between the Upper Captain Sandstone and the overlying Chalk
top seal, lies a greatly condensed (25 ft thick) section of Latest
Aptian and Albian claystones, informally termed the Sola/Rodby
Shale. The lower formations of the Chalk Group are condensed
over the Captain Field and further east can be seen onlapping the
Captain Ridge and the Halibut Horst. The Upper Chalk drapes
the structure in a generally layer cake fashion.
Overlying the Chalk is a sequence of Early Paleocene sands
and shales. The lower of these units are assumed to belong to the
Maureen Formation (Knox & Holloway 1992) and contain inter-
bedded, resedimented chalk horizons. There are limited strati-
graphic data available for the Tertiary in the Western Moray Firth
Basin, inhibiting any detailed evaluation. Tertiary uplift and erosion
causes the Chalk to subcrop the sea bed only 25km W of the
Captain Field on the Smith Bank High.
Geophysics
The initial structural mapping of the Captain Field was based on a
375 line-km grid of 2D seismic lines, drawn from 21 different
surveys. These 2D seismic data sets, of varied vintage, were recog-
nized as being inadequate, hence a 14 238 km 3D seismic survey was
designed and acquired in 1990 over the whole of Block 13/22a, to
overcome these deficiencies. The relatively shallow reservoir target
permitted use of multiple short (600 m) cables in the 3D seismic
acquisition. This maximized the rate at which the data could be
acquired, with associated reduction in acquisition costs.
The current geophysical mapping is based on an interpretation
of the 1990 3D seismic data set. Events associated with the shal-
lower horizons are generally of good quality, in both continuity and
character, throughout the mapped area, and were picked for depth
conversion purposes. Below these the Base Chalk horizon forms
the principal seismic event used to define the structural form of the
underlying Captain Sandstone Member. This is a strong continuous
seismic reflector formed at the interface between the Chalk and the
Fig. 7. North-South seismic section through the Captain Field, Area A (see Fig. 2 for location).
437
underlying poorly consolidated Albian/Aptian clastics. Unfortu-
nately, degradation of data quality below the Chalk renders the
seismic mapping of the Lower Cretaceous and Jurassic less reliable.
The Captain reservoir sands are represented by weak, discontinuous
seismic events just below Base Chalk level, but are often masked by
water bottom and peg leg multiples. However, sand thickness varia-
tions and spatial distributions can be constrained by integrating the
very tight development well control very closely with the seismic.
The most variable stratigraphic unit over the Captain Field is
the Lower Maureen Formation. This consists of differing amounts
of allochthonous limestone and basin floor clastic sands and has a
very marked impact on the seismic. No obvious geological trends
are apparent within this unit despite the full coverage provided by
the 3D seismic dataset. The unit appears to represent an inter-
digitation of reworked chalk debris-flow deposits, derived from the
Halibut Horst to the east, with more typical Maureen Formation
turbiditic clastics sourced from the north and west. Differential
compaction has resulted in the present morphology with the sand
rich zones forming pronounced mounds above the Base Tertiary
surface; for example around 13/22a-12 (Fig. 7). Velocity push-down
effects can be seen on the Base Tertiary horizon, below these low
velocity sand mounds. The Maureen Formation sandstones are not
considered prospective in this area due to the lack of any mechanism
for hydrocarbon charge.
Depth conversion has historically been problematic over the
Captain Field, due to the dramatic effect small lateral velocity
changes can have on such a large but low relief structure. In Cap-
tain this issue is exacerbated by the very inhomogeneous velocity
structure of the Maureen interval described above together with
lateral velocity changes within the Chalk. The most successful
approach uses a three-layer depthconversion model in the undevel-
oped part of the field. In Area A multiple Top Upper Captain
Sandstone and Base Chalk penetrations in the horizontal develop-
ment wells give a high density of depth data. A simple model using
contoured average velocities to Base Chalk is used for depth
conversion in this area.
 Downloaded from http://mem.lyellcollection.org/ at Duke University on August 23, 2012
438 S. J. PINNOCK & A. R. J. CLITHEROE
Trap and top seal
The Captain Field is a broad, low relief structure covering an area
of 9400 acres. At the reservoir level the trap is defined by a com-
bination of three-way dip closure and stratigraphic pinch-out. Top
seal is provided by a combination of the Sola/Rodby Shale and
the overlying Chalk Group. The stratigraphic element to the trap
divides the field into three closure areas, Main, Eastern and South-
ern Terrace (see Fig. 2). In the Main Closure the reservoirs drape the
westerly plunging core of the Captain Ridge. The structure is full to
the westerly spill point with an oil-water contact (OWC) o f - 2 9 9 2 ft
TVDss in the Lower Captain Sandstone and -2982 ft TVDss in the
Upper Captain Sandstone. The Eastern Closure is separated from
the Main Closure by a structural low that is probably coincident
with absence of sand. In the east the reservoirs pinch out to the
south against the rising Captain Ridge and the fluid contacts are
higher, -2967ft TVDss in the Upper Captain Sandstone and
-2921 ft TVDss in the Lower Captain Sandstone. Below the pres-
ent day contacts a zone of residual hydrocarbon saturation occurs,
typically extending down 16-50 ft into the present day aquifer. The
base of this zone does not appear to be flat, implying structural
tilting since the initial charge. The residual oil zone also appears to
be thicker in the east of the field where the present day contacts are
higher. It is suggested that oil may have leaked into the open frac-
ture systems that are present in the Devonian of the Captain Ridge.
This might help to explain why the OWC in the Lower Captain Sand-
stone is significantlyhigher than that in the Upper Captain Sandstone
of the Eastern Closure.
The Upper Captain Sandstone also contains free gas caps in
both the Main and Eastern Closures. The very different gas-oil
contacts (GOC) in these areas, -2799 ft TVDss in the Main Closure
Upper Captain Sandstone and -2723 ft TVDss, indicate that there
is a robust stratigraphic seal, interpreted as a sandstone absent zone,
between these two areas of the field.
Reservoir
The majority of the Captain Sandstone Member reservoirs are
thick-bedded fine to medium grained sandstones with very little
interbedded silt or claystone. These deposits are interpreted as high-
density turbidity current deposits. The Upper Captain Sandstone
exhibits excellent reservoir characteristics throughout. The Lower
Captain Sandstone is a little more heterogeneous. The bulk of the
Lower Captain Sandstone has excellent porosity and permeability
as in the Upper Captain Sandstone but there are a number of
discrete, thin, fine-grained horizons. These horizons make up less
than 10% of the gross volume of the Lower Captain Sandstone
accumulation but they are expected to act as pressure baffles during
production.
The Lower Captain Sandstone is predominantly a very fine
to fine grained subarkose. The Upper Captain Sandstone has a
higher lithic component while still being predominantly subarkosic.
It also tends to be slightly coarser grained, typically fine to medium
grained. Detrital components are dominated by monocrystalline
quartz, together with polycrystalline quartz, potassium feldspars
(5-8%) and lithics. Detrital clays (smectite and illite) and authigenic
clays (predominantly kaolin), comprise 5-10 % of the samples. Other
authigenic phases include siderite, ferroan dolomite and calcite and
some leaching and alteration of feldspars has occurred. However, the
Captain Sandstones have undergone only minor diagenetic altera-
tion and they are not significantly compacted. The Upper and Lower
Captain Sandstones are separated by a shale interval of uniform
thickness, the Mid Captain Shale, which contains minor thin inter-
bedded silts, sands and tufts.
Formation water
Representative formation water samples have been obtained from
MDT samples, the 13/22a-12 water coning test and produced water
in areas of the field where aquifer water was produced prior to the
start of injection. The formation brines are characterized by low
total dissolved solids (12-25 000ppm TDS) with minor quantities
of barium, calcium and strontium. There is a clear spatial and
stratigraphic variation in formation water salinity within these
Lower Cretaceous sandstones. Salinity decreases vertically up
through the stratigraphy (Lower Wick Sandstone produced water
salinity is 25 000 ppm TDS, average Captain Member native salinity
is 13 000 ppm TDS). Log derived water salinities suggest that the
formation waters increase in salinity with increasing depth within
each reservoir. It is suggested that the low salinity is a result of
dilution of the original formation water (sea-water salinity) by
meteoric influxes sourced from the Halibut Horst. Fresh water
pulses are also assumed to have been responsible for introducing
oxygenated waters and bacteria, resulting in biodegradation of the
crude oil.
Source and migration
Evaluation of geochemical data has demonstrated that the organic-
rich shales of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation are mature for
hydrocarbon generation in the basins adjacent to the Captain Field.
Ashphaltine geochemistry suggests the oil was sourced from both
the West Halibut Basin and Smith Bank Graben, with the prim-
ary phase of charging modelled to have occurred during the early
Tertiary. The original crude is considered to have been a typical
North Sea black oil which has been biodegraded, in situ, during
the Tertiary. Isotopic analysis of samples from the free gas cap
around well 13/22a-9A show this has a significant late thermogenic
gas component.
Fluid samples have been obtained by standard drill-stem tests
and wireline sampling from all reservoirs and areas of the Captain
Field. The reservoir oil from the Main and Eastern Closures can
generally be described as heavy by North Sea standards with API
gravity and in situ viscosity ranging between 19~ and 21 ~ and 150 to
47 cP respectively. While variations are observed between the closure
areas, no variation has been seen within a contiguous oil column.
Development
The Captain Field is being developed exclusively with horizontal
wells with completions ranging from 3500 to 8000 ft in length. The
primary reason for utilizing horizontal wells is to provide spatial
coverage throughout the reservoirs with a relatively small number
of wells, thus maximising cost-effective recovery. Reservoir simula-
tion studies confirm that the optimum orientation for the horizontal
completions would be parallel to each other; this is constrained in
practise by the requirement to drill the wells from a common top-
hole location. The layout of the seventeen development wells drilled
to date is illustrated on Figure 4. Production wells were designed to
stay within the top 20 ft of the reservoir, where practical, to delay
initial aquifer water breakthrough and injectors are placed either in
the aquifer or close to the base of the reservoir. To achieve these
requirements the risk associated with two critical uncertainties,
the depth to the Base Chalk Unconformity and the detail of the
reservoir thickness distribution had to be addressed.
For producer wells, the uncertainty in the location of the roof of
the reservoir is the key uncertainty. When landing the well in the
1288 hole section the depth conversion risk is controlled by close
monitoring of log markers through the Chalk sequence using
gamma and resistivity logging-while-drilling sensors located behind
the mud motor. Once in the horizontal section (889 hole) near-bit
logging sensors are used (azimuthal gamma and resistivity, Bruce
et al. 1996). Where a shale is penetrated in a well it is possible to
confirm whether it is above or below by using the azimuthal gamma
and it is possible to take corrective action immediately. Depending
on the angle of incidence between the shale and the well bore this
might entail turning the well trajectory away from the shale or
Downloaded from http://mem.lyellcollection.org/ at Duke University on August 23, 2012

CAPTAIN FIELD 439

9
,.z:

o
1>

Q
,.sz

L)

r~
 Downloaded from http://mem.lyellcollection.org/ at Duke University on August 23, 2012

440 S. J. PINNOCK & A. R. J. CLITHEROE

Fig. 9. Captain daily oil production from start-up to end 1998.

pulling the bit back and drilling a low-side sidetrack. Once a side- est. This was achieved by spacing open screen sections between
track decision has been taken, the original hole is commonly blank pipe. The amount of open screen is restricted near the heel
extended as an information pilot hole, even drilling extra sidetracks of an injector and increased towards the toe. Production logging
to enhance the data collection (e.g. Fig. 8). Extensive sidetrack has confirmed that, in undamaged wells, this screen configuration
drilling has been cost effective in the Captain Field because it has results in an even inflow profile. Sand control in injectors is achieved
proved unnecessary to isolate the abandoned sections and the hori- with dual wire-wrapped screens.
zontal holes are drilled with exceptional penetration rates (average The development strategy requires full voidage replacement;
350 ft per hour, up to 900 ft per hour). consequently injection was initiated two months after first oil prod-
Injectors are ideally placed beneath the oil water contact. uction with water from the Lower Wick Sandstone aquifer. Injec-
However, pressure waves move very slowly through viscous oil like tion of the Lower Wick Sandstone water will continue until the end
the Captain crude and pressure maintenance is critical for efficient of field life. Significant water production is forecast to occur from
oil recovery. As a result parts of the accumulation that are under- every oil well. Consequently down-hole chemical injection has been
lain by shale cannot be supported by aquifer injector wells where built into the completion design of these wells, including a dual cor-
they are too remote from the aquifer, requiring the drilling of oil rosion and scale inhibitor line and also a demulsifier capability.
zone injectors (Lach 1997). To plan these wells a detailed picture of Following hook-up and commissioning of the WPP and the
the reservoir thickness distribution is required to accurately con- FPSO during the winter of 1996/97 the pre-drilled production wells
strain the aquifer. Where injector targets have been located in areas were brought into operation during March and April 1997. By the
of reservoir thickness uncertainty, for example on the western end of 1998, ten production wells, four injectors and one aquifer
margin of the Lower Captain Sandstone channel, pilot drilling in supply well were operational, with individual well production rates
191tt hole) and horizontal (889 hole) sections have
both the landing (._~ between 5000 and 20000 BPD gross liquids. Field oil production
been used to reduce the risk. rate reached the design rate of 60 000 BOPD in September 1997 and
The development of Captain with horizontal wells has provided has remained at or close to this level as additional wells have been
unusually detailed geological control on the reservoir structure and brought on stream (Fig. 9).
sand distribution. This has resulted in close definition of sand
pinch-out edges and unexpected sand thin zones in the Upper The authors wish to thank the management of Texaco Ltd and Korea
Captain Sandstone and detailed definition of the western margin of Captain Company Ltd for permission to publish this paper. We would also
the Lower Captain Sandstone channel. The data have proved that like to acknowledge the contribution made by many colleagues and the
external referees in reviewing the manuscript.
much of the topographic variation of the Base Chalk Unconformity
reflects sandstone thickness variation. It is suggested that this
topography is the result of an interaction of compactional drape, C a p t a i n Field data s u m m a r y
original depositional relief and post Upper Captain Sandstone
scour and erosion of the Captain reservoir sequence. In the current
Trap
reservoir modelling, analysis of the topographic variation of the
Type Drape anticline/stratigraphic pinch-out
Base Chalk Unconformity has been used in conjunction with Maximum oil column 270 ft
interpretation of weak discontinuous seismic reflectors within the
reservoir sequence to constrain the reservoir isochore in both the Pay zone
developed and undeveloped areas. The continual enhancement of Formation Valhall/Wick Sandstone
the Captain geological model has allowed optimal placement of new Member Captain Sandstone
development wells and realistic predictions from reservoir simula- Age Late Aptian
tion for reservoir management. Sand body thickness Variable, up to 300 ft
Production wells were initially drilled with oil based mud with Net/gross ratio 0.95 (field average)
sand control provided by pre-packed wire-wrapped screens. Con- Porosity 28-34%, 31% (field average)
cerns over productivity performance of some of these completions Permeability 1-12D, 7D (field average)
Oil saturation 68-94%, 84% (field average)
resulted in a move to water based drilling fluids with open-hole
gravel-packs for sand control. This has been successful and hori- Hydrocarbons
zontal sections as long as 8000 ft have been gravel packed. Oil gravity 19~ ~ API
The Captain development has required long horizontal injectors Gas gravity 0.52 g/cc
to be drilled. A critical concern for these wells was achieving an even Bubble point 1270psia at 2799 ft TVDss
inflow profile, ensuring that not all the water entered the formation Gas/oil ratio 88-140 SCF/STB
at the heel of the well where the injection pressure will be high- Formation volume factor 1.03-1.06 RB/STB
 Downloaded from http://mem.lyellcollection.org/ at Duke University on August 23, 2012

CAPTAIN FIELD 441

Formation water COHEN, D. J. & DALLAS, J. 1997. Development of a gas handling hydraulic
Salinity 12 000-25 000 ppm TDS submersible pump and planning a field trial, Captain Field. SPE 8511.
Average resistivity for CRITTENDEN, S., COLE, J. M. 8r KIRK, M. J. In press. The distribution of
Captain reservoir 0.394ohm-m @ 87~ Aptian sands in the Central and Northern North Sea (UK Sector)-
a Lowstand Systems Tract hydrocarbon exploration play. Part 1:
Reservoir conditions Stratigraphy, age determination and genesis of the sandstones. Journal
Temperature 87~ of Petroleum Geology, in press.
Pressure 1340 psi at OWC (-2992 fl TVDss ETEBAR, S. 1997. Captain Field development project overview. SPE 8507.
Oil Gradient 0.400 psi/ft JOHNSON, H. 8r LOTT, G. K. 1993.2. Cretaceous of the Central and North-
ern North Sea. In: KNOX, R. W. O'B. & CORDEY, W. G. (eds) Litho-
Field size stratigraphic nomenclature of the UK North Sea. British Geological
Area 9400 acres Survey, Nottingham.
Recovery factor 20-40% KNOX, R. W. O'B. & HOLLOWAY, S. 1992. 1. Paleogene of the Central and
Oil-in-place 1000 MMBBL Northern North Sea. In: KNOX, R. W. O'B. & CORDEY, W. G. (eds)
Reserves 300-350 MMBBL Lithostratigraphic nomenclature of the UK North Sea. British Geolo-
Drive mechanism Full voidage replacement, water injection gical Survey, Nottingham.
LACH, J. R. 1997. Captain Field reservoir development planning and hori-
Production zontal well performance. SPE 8508.
First oil March 1997 PALLENT, M. A., COHEN, D. J. & LACH, J. R. 1995. Reservoir engineering
Plateau production 55 000 BOPD increasing to 85-000 BOPD aspects of the Captain extended well test appraisal program. SPE 30437.
with Area B PINNOCK, S. P. ~r CLITHEROE, A. R. J. In press. The Captain Field, UK
Development scheme Area A. One manned well head platform North Sea: appraisal and development of a viscous oil accumulation.
tied back to floating offshore storage and Petroleum Geoscience, in press.
production vessel. ROBERTS, A. M., BADLEY, M. E., PRICE, J. O. & HUCK, I. W. 1990. The
Area B. Sub-sea drilling centre tied back to structural history of a transtensional basin: Inner Moray Firth, NE
additional processing facilities on a Scotland. Journal of the Geological Society, 147, 87-103.
second platform bridge-linked to the SUTTON, J. E. 1997. Process equipment for offshore viscous crude handling:
Area A drilling centre. Captain Field. SPE 8512.
TAVENDALE,F. M. 1997. Captain horizontal development wells: a review of
key design and operational issues. SPE 8509.
UNDERHILL, J. R. 1991. Implications of Mesozoic-Recent basin develop-
ment in the western Inner Moray Firth, UK. Marine and Petroleum
References Geology, 8, 359-369.
UNDERHILL, J. R. ~r PARTINGTON, M. A. 1993. Jurassic thermal doming and
BRUCE, S., BEZANT, P. & PINNOCK, S. J. 1996. A review of three years work deflation in the North Sea: implications of the sequence stratigraphic
in Europe and Africa with an Instrumented Motor. In: Proceedings of evidence. In: PARKER, J. R. (ed.) Petroleum Geology of Northwest
the 1996 IADC/SPE Drilling Conference, 147-156. Europe." Proceedings of the 4th Conference. Geological Society, London,
COHEN, D. J. 1997. Captain Field electric submersible pump, condition 337-345.
monitoring and completion systems. SPE 8510.