Maureen oil field
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| Maureen oil field | |
|---|---|
  Location of Maureen oil field | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Region | Central North Sea |
| Location/block | 16/29a |
| Offshore/onshore | Offshore |
| Coordinates | 58°01′52″N 01°42′06″E / 58.03111°N 1.70167°E |
| Operator | Phillips Petroleum |
| Owner | Phillips Petroleum Company UK Ltd (33.78%), Fina Exploration Ltd (28.96%), AGIP UK Ltd (17.26%), Century Power & Light Ltd (11.5%), and Ultramar Exploration Ltd (8.5%). |
| Field history | |
| Discovery | February 1973 |
| Start of production | 14 September 1983 |
| Abandonment | October 1999 |
| Production | |
| Current production of oil | 70,000 barrels per day (~3.4×106 t/a) |
| Recoverable oil (million tonnes) | 20 |
| Producing formations | Paleocene sandstone |
The Maureen oil field is a partially depleted crude oil field in the UK sector of the central North Sea, 262 km north-east of Aberdeen. Oil was produced from the field reservoir by the Maureen A platform between 1983 and 1999. Proposals to further exploit the residual hydrocarbons in the field have yet to be implemented.
The Maureen oil field is located in Block 16/29a of the UK North Sea continental shelf.[1] The Maureen field was discovered in February 1973; the oil reservoir comprises a Paleocene sandstone at a depth of 8,300 to 9,000 feet (2,530 to 2,743 metres).[2] The reservoir and its fluids have the following characteristics:[2]
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| API gravity | 35.6°API |
| Gas Oil Ratio | 500 standard cubic feet/barrel |
| Sulfur content | Nil |
| Initial recoverable reserves | 125–150 million barrels, 28 million tonnes |
Near Maureen are three small fields, Morag, Moira and Mary which were produced through the Maureen facilities.[3]
Owners and operators
The owners of the field in 1985 were Phillips Petroleum Company UK Ltd (33.78%), Fina Exploration Ltd (28.96%), AGIP UK Ltd (17.26%), Century Power & Light Ltd (11.5%), and Ultramar Exploration Ltd (8.5%). Phillips operated the Maureen field.[2]
Development
The Maureen field was developed by a single integrated drilling, production and accommodation platform. The principal design data of the Maureen A platform is given in the table.[2][4]
| Coordinates | 58°01’52”N 01°42’06”E |
| Water depth, metres | 95.6 |
| Fabrication of jacket | Ayreshire Marine Construction, Hunterston |
| Jacket weight, tonnes | 42,750 unballasted, 92,750 ballasted |
| Storage tanks | 3 off: 67 m tall x 26 m diameter |
| Topsides design | Worley Engineering |
| Topsides weight, tonnes | 19,000 |
| Function | Drilling, production, storage, accommodation |
| Accommodation (crew) | 150 |
| Type | Steel gravity base (Tecnomare design) |
| Well slots | 24 (12 production, 7 water injection) |
| Throughput oil, barrels per day (bpd) | 80,000 |
| Storage, bbl | 650,000 |
| Water injection, bpd | 90,000 |
| Platform installed | June 1983 |
| Production started | 14 September 1983 |
| Oil production to | Storage tanks then the articulated loading column, through a 2.3 km 24-inch pipeline |
| Gas production to | Fuel gas, surplus flared |
The installation was the first steel gravity base platform deployed in the North Sea.[2] It was the largest steel structure in the North Sea when it was decommissioned in 2001.[5]