Brazilian field to be waterflooded from the beginning

Oil production and water injection will start simultaneously when Petrobras begins exploiting a new Brazilian offshore field later in the year. The pool is Guaricema, a 1968 discovery, located 10 miles off Aracaju, Sergipe. It is one of 2 offshore structures currently under development by Petrobras. The other is Ciaoba, where in-field drilling began earlier this year from a 12-well platform. While waterflooding from the outset is the technical high-light of the new operation, Guaricema's production facilities stand out for 2 other reasons: (1) no pumping equipment will be used to gather the oil or transfer it to shore--a network of 2-phase lines will allow Petrobras to fully utilize the energy of expanding solution gas; and (2) the small field (its potential is now estimated at 12,000 to 15,000 bpd) will boast 4 small, fixed platforms, rather than a single, large one. This multistructure approach was necessary, due to the long, narrow shape of the field and its relatively thin (18-ft average) shallow pay, lying at little over 3,000 ft deep. The entire system has provisions for drilling 20 wells--16 for oil and 4 for water injection. A schematic drawing shows the entire system, while plan drawings show detailed viewsmore » of the unusual production system for each platform and the onshore terminal.« less