Marlim Field Development: A Challenge in Deepwaters

ABSTRACT The Marlim Complex is a system of oil accumulations in the Campos Basin, offshore Brazil, which extends over an area of 381 sq km (94,100 acres), at water depths ranging from 400 m to 1,800 m (1,312 to 5,906 ft). With an estimated oil-in-place totaling 2.2 billion cubic meters (14 billion barrels), the Marlim Complex corresponds to 32 % of the Brazilian oil-in-place. The overall development of the Marlim field itself will consist of several production systems, which will produce up to 109 subsea completed wells. The exploitation development plan will be divided into three step-by-step modules, in order to greatly reduce initial investments and allow development of technological capabilities in deepwaters. Due to several delays in the beginning of the first module, called Pilot Production System, a one-year-test with start-up in the first quarter of 1991 will be used to gather performance data from a two-satellite-well production system. An additional eight-satellite-well production system will follow, complementing the original Pilot Production System, gathering reservoir and operational data during approximately a four-year period. All information will subsidize the overall field development. The subsequent module, called Phase I, will consist of two semi-submersible units moored at 910 m and 980 m (2,986 and 3,215 ft) water depths and will start operating in 1994, with an estimated peak production of 31,600 cu.m/d (200,000 bpd) in 1996, from 32 wells. Phase II will correspond to the remaining part of the field development. This paper describes many alternatives of drainage grids, production philosophy, subsea arrangements, and exporting of oil and gas shorewards for the Marlim field development plan. Additionally, an economical evaluation will demonstrate the profitability of the above mentioned Phase I cost-effective project.