HOUSTON, Texas – Halliburton’s (NYSE: HAL) Energy Services Group used its DeepQuestsm service to help Chevron successfully complete the test on its Tahiti Field discovery well in the Gulf of Mexico. Early analysis of the rate and pressure data collected during the test indicates that the well’s capability exceeds the pre-test expectation of 25,000 barrels per day.
Announcing the results in a Chevron press release, Chevron said: “The results of this well test are very positive for our Tahiti Field development plans. Tahiti is a key asset in our deepwater portfolio and these results serve to reinforce our efforts around finding significant new oil resources in the Gulf of Mexico.”
The well test was successfully completed in 4,100 feet of water and at 25,812 feet subsea, making it the deepest successful well test in the history of the Gulf of Mexico. Even more significant is the fact that it was completed in a high-pressure environment.
Jim Prestidge, a vice president in Halliburton’s Production Optimization Division, said: “Halliburton’s DeepQuest service includes a new weighted fluid system that allows for fracpack and fracturing treatments on deep wells where the necessary surface treating pressure would otherwise exceed the pressure limitations of surface equipment.”
The technology is specifically aimed at deep shelf and deepwater field development, but it is also applicable in land applications. Using a weighted fluid makes it possible to achieve required treating pressure at the formation face by taking advantage of the hydrostatic pressure of the fluid column. For example, a 25,000-foot well may require 22,500 pounds per square inch (psi) at the formation in order to fracture it. Using a conventional fracturing fluid requires a surface treating pressure of 16,675 psi (pounds per square inch) which exceeds the capability of the vast majority of surface equipment currently available. In this example, using DeepQuest service fluid would reduce the surface treating pressure to only 13,610 psi, making the treatment possible.
“This is especially important for offshore operations,” said Prestidge, “because flexible treatment lines rated at over 15,000 psi simply are not available at this time in the industry.”
Halliburton, founded in 1919, is one of the world's largest providers of products and services to the petroleum and energy industries. The company serves its customers with a broad range of products and services through its Energy Services Group and KBR. The company's World Wide Web site can be accessed at www.halliburton.com.