Santos has stated that the multi-rate flow testing of the Dorado field in the Bedout Basin, offshore of Western Australia, has ‘excellent productivity’ and fluid quality from the Baxter gas and condensate reservoir.
The now completed Baxter formation flow test was the first of two planned for the Dorado field, with testing of the primary Caley oil reservoir set to be undertaken in the coming weeks.
Santos conducted the initial clean-up test at the Baxter reservoir over a 12-hour period and achieved a maximum rate of approximately 48 million standard cubic feet per day of gas and 4,500 barrels per day of associated condensate through a 60/64” choke.
The well test was conducted over a 7.4-metre net interval between 4,136 and 4,156 metres Measured Depth and was achieved with only 150 psi of drawdown.
Production was limited by surface equipment constraints which indicates that the reservoir has the capacity to flow at significantly higher rates.
Completion of the multi-rate testing exceeded the company’s initial expectations and provided further reservoir information consistent with other high rate North West Shelf gas wells.
Preliminary interpretation of the well test points to reservoir quality and condensate gas ratio turned out better than initially expected. Santos advises that this could result in higher well deliverability once the field is developed.
A separate test will be undertaken over the Caley oil reservoir to provide key information on deliverability and fluid compositions.
Santos’ Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Gallagher, said the flow rate in the Baxter confirms their interpretation of a high-quality reservoir with excellent productivity and condensate-rich gas with low levels of impurities.
Map of WA-437-P showing the Dorado field. Image credit: Carnarvon Petroleum Limited
“This result further increases our confidence in our ability to commercialise the significant condensate resources in the Dorado field,” he said.
“We look forward to the results from the planned test of the Caley oil reservoir, which should close out the Dorado appraisal program and allow us to work towards a Final Investment Decision on the project, which is now one of the most exciting growth projects across the Santos portfolio.”
Dorado-3 is located in petroleum permit WA-437-P, in which Santos is operator and holds 80 per cent interest, with Carnarvon Petroleum Limited holding the remaining balance.
It is located in Commonwealth waters, approximately 160 kilometres north of Port Hedland and one-kilometre north-west of the Dorado-1 discovery, which was made in July last year.
Dorado-3 was drilled using the jack-up mobile offshore drilling unit, Noble Tom Prosser, in a water depth of 95 metres and reached a total measured depth of 4,643 metres.
Once operations conclude, the well will be plugged and abandoned as planned, thereby concluding Santos’ 2019 offshore drilling program.
