Neftegaz.RU #3-17 ENG

Neftegaz.RU
# 3/2017
AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER 2016 IN A TELECONFERENCE, VLADIMIR PUTIN GAVE A START TO THE
LARGEST ARCTIC PROJECT: FULL-SCALE COMMERCIAL OPERATION OF THE EAST MESSOYAKHA OILFIELD
IN THE YAMAL-NENETS AUTONOMOUS DISTRICT. THE PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA IN A FORMAL CEREMONY
THANKED ALL THE TEAMS INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE EASTERN MESSOYAKHA. A UNIQUE
GEOLOGY OF THIS FIELD REQUIRES NEW AND EXCEPTIONAL TECHNOLOGY, WHILE SUBNORMAL
TEMPERATURES MAKE ANY WORK DIFFICULT TO ACCOMPLISH. SO WHO WAS THAT ENTRUSTED WITH
THE HONOR TO DEVELOP THIS ARCTIC TERRITORY AND HOW DID THEY MANAGE TO DRILL ONE OF THE
NORTHERNMOST AREAS ON THE CONTINENT?
ADS
BUSINESS-ACCENT
KEYWORDS: drilling, sidetracking, Messoyakha oilfield, horizontal directional drilling, Siberian Service Company,
exploration drilling.
Whimsies of the Messoyakha
Oilfield
Messoyakha group of fields is not just some
northern fields. They are located only 250
km away from the Arctic Circle. In winter, the
ambient temperature here reaches minus 60°C.
And the winter itself lasts 9 months. Apart from
extremely low temperatures and short daylight
hours there are strong winds gusting up to 40
m/s, which, along with frequent snowstorms,
bind down any fieldwork. Despite all the
difficulties, the northernmost production field of
the mainland was built in just 3 years.
In addition to the harsh climate, the region
is notable for its distinctive soil geology. An
irregular payout bed position (700 – 800 m
deep) is what makes Messoyakha wells unique.
Despite the fact that wells are relatively shallow,
horizontal length often exceeds 1 kilometer.
East Messoyakha oilfield had the most stringent
requirements for technology developers.
Engineers had to make some fundamental
rethinking of the customary recovery methods.
Hi-Tech Services
The work was further complicated by the
fact that each well in the region is individual
and opens a unique log. Complex tectonics
and many faults leave basically no room for
estimations. Often well logs, even of those
adjacent to each other, are hardly correlating.
This includes both the lithological structure and
hydrodynamic reservoir characteristics.
The company's share in the total annual
volume of domestic drilling is 7%
FACTS
Messoyakha group of fields
is located in the Tazovsky
region of the Yamal-Nenets
Autonomous District in 250
kilometers from the Arctic
Circle, in the Arctic climatic
zone
In1990,
Tazovskaya oil and gas
prospecting expedition,
having tested the well No.
35 on the Eastern dome, has
discovered an oil reservoir
70 %
of oil reserves is
represented by heavy,
high-viscose, resinous oil
with a low content of light
fractions
Yamal is a peninsula in the
north of Western Siberia
located at the territory of the
Yamal-Nenets Autonomous
District of Russia. The
length is 700 km, and the
width is up to 240 km. It is
washed by the Kara Sea and
the Gulf of Ob
JSC Siberian Service Company
having the most extensive
experience in exploratory and
production drilling (SSC has
been in the industry since the
beginning of 2000s) helped JSC
Messoyakhaneftegas to deal with
the challenges.
One of the SSC's strategies was
to attract high-profile Russian
experts. Many teams have a
unique drilling experience at
‘5-thousanders’.
SSC is actively engaged in
exploratory and operational drilling
of wells, horizontal directional
drilling and related services,
sidetracking, repair of wells,
selection of formulas, development
and handling of drilling mud, and
plugging operations. By constantly
being at the site, engineers of
SSC can continuously monitor
the drilling process by means of
electromechanical equipment
(mud logging station) installed on
a drilling unit. Success of SSC is
based on the best technology, staff
and equipment, which allow to
significantly boost production and
economic indicators of the well
construction. The company follows
all contractual terms and perform
with a great efficiency.
During the development of
the East Messoyakha oilfield
engineers of SSC employed
technologies that significantly
increase the coverage of oil-filled
areas while taking into account the
complex geology of the field and
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