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Just a reminder
https://youtu.be/T9h1sjeGTsE
Hi Rubey. A fair point. I now understand your comment in its context.
Exploration, Thanks for the geological explanation. I'm very happy not to be living next to one of those mud volcanoes. Mind you, the Romanian and Azerbaijan examples may explain why oil exploration started in those countries very early.
Thanks GP,
I’m really interested to learn how RBD will achieve commercial flow of gas in Romania. The Panonnian Basin is actually an ancient lake (Lake Pannon) which formed during the Miocene. If, with ADX, they can crack the code of commercial gas flow they’ll do well, but many have tried and failed before them, so it’s not a foregone conclusion.
It helps to see IMIC-1 in a wider context, because its a good ‘address’ in the petroleum world if RBD intends to build a business there.
There is some geology involved. In the late Middle Miocene the Panonnian basin lost its direct connection to the open sea, and became part of a large, inland sea, or lake, stretching across 14 present-day countries with Carpathian Mountains to the east and Alps to the north. It’s what geologists call a ‘foreland basin’. The former marine areas were replaced by brackish, salty areas and with ideal conditions for very rich source rocks to accumulate in the deep the basin centres.
In the Late Miocene through to the Pliocene, sedimentation took place in the several-hundred-metre-deep lake. Sediment input to the lake was intense from surrounding highlands. The deep basin gradually evolved into fluvial plains which we see today, and the relatively high heat flow from below means the source rocks are generating oil and gas today which accumulates in any nearby porous habitats they can find.
The deep basin centre is highly over-pressured and hot, but with poor reservoirs which may be fractured by the over-pressure itself. As the Panonnian Basin continues to evolve oil, gas and water unable to find residence in a reservoir are expelled to the surface as petroleum seeps. Not surprisingly, Romania has more surface petroleum seeps than any other country in Europe, some in the form of active mud-volcanoes.
If you travel to Romania don’t miss a trip to the mud volcanoes - see this link.
https://youtu.be/UA7EQeFX-fg
Here is an example of burning gas from an erupting mud volcano in Azerbaijan. The South Caspian Basin is still in the process of de-watering and compacting sediments within it. Gas and water contained in the sediments is squeezed out around the margins from the highly over-pressured deep basin centre.
https://youtu.be/FjzYUdlSs5w
I found Exploration's post very interesting GP. It was the suggestion that it's 'unusual for someone who really knows their stuff to post here' that oldabutnowisa stated that I would question. I think there are quite a few well informed and well researched posters on this bulletin board (with one or two obvious exceptions). So yes, I was being sarcastic fwiw, but I believe not about the post you thought. lol
Anyway, critical cricket time...
Thanks Exploration. I know very little about Romania, the Pannonian Basin in particular, and I thought your post was enlightening. So I'm much the wiser for your posting. Let's hope Rubey wasn't being sarcastic. Surely not, eh Rubey?
Haha, nowisa by name....
Just read your posting, Exploration. It is unusual for someone who really knows their stuff to post here. Thanks a lot.
Grey Panther
You may be right that RBD’s directors aren’t too interested in technical details, but experience shows they may ignore it at their peril. I wouldn’t be too concerned, since ADX is clearly an experienced, technically-driven operator with a regional understanding of central European petroleum geology.
Romanians and Hungarians have been drilling literally 000’s of wells in the Panonnian Basin for more than 90 years they’ve learned how to drill and complete gas wells by trial and error. Apart from choosing the right location, it seems choice of drilling fluids to enable managed pressure drilling is crucial to avoid mud filtrate invading too far into these young reservoirs. Once water filtrate gets into a tight gas reservoir it’s physically impossible for the gas to reach the well-bore - so drilling slightly under- balanced yields best results. The outcome of MIC-1 fits the historic picture which has been widely published.
The Miocene reservoirs in the Panonnian Basin show typical tight gas behaviour in exploration tests and in the early production phase. Production starts – without any stimulation – with higher daily rates and pressure, and then decline within weeks. The original pressure is typically 10 times higher than the pressure during the tail production. After the pressure drop, production stabilises at a lower level with limited water production and at a low well head pressure until the well dies because it can no longer lift the water in the tubing.
Although production in many wells has been continuous since the discovery, the commerciality of some accumulations is marginal to date. Analysis of the reservoir system and fluid quality indicates that rates may be successfully enhanced with reservoir stimulation. Drilling highly deviated wells and/or hydraulic fracturing, has not been widely used so far.
In MIC-1 perforation was conducted under-balanced to avoid further formation damage and give the well a chance to unload the completion brine. RBD reported July 2nd that post-perforation, nitrogen lift was tried, but failed to stimulate gas flow to surface.
Historically, paIV producers flow initially at ~ 1 mmscfd, with each well recovering a total of 1 to 2 bcf by simple blowdown, implying a lot of production wells are needed.
So the gas is there, slowly seeping into the well-bore and I hope RBD gets it to flow at commercial rates. Fingers crossed!
Hi Exploration. Thanks v much for that. I finally found the depth info on ADX's RNS. I suppose RBD's directors aren't all that interested in the technical data. Since 3,046 psi at 2,033 metres equates to 0.4567 psi per foot it's exactly as you say, not much greater than normal hydrostatic pressure. I realise there may be some drilling mudin the well, which will be denser than fresh water, but using my favourite freshwater gradient of 0.4335 psi / ft makes very little difference. The well is clearly in balance and the reservoir isn't over pressured. ATB, GP
Grey Panther; On pressures;
Back of envelope approach;
Top PaIV reservoir at 2033m
2033m = 6670ft
Assuming well full of fresh water to kill well with pressure gradient of 0.44 psi/ft
Hydrostatic pressure at top reservoir = 2934 psi
Actual pressure at reservoir reported = 3046 psi
So more or less the same pressure, meaning well is balanced.
Next? How much drawdown needed to get the well to flow.
I should have said "indicates that there is SOME effective reservoir permeability". GP
Hi miker444. I know almost zilch about Romanian gas. On the face of it, though, a reservoir pressure of 3,046 psi seems quite high as it's 210 times surface / atmospheric pressure. This is presumably a good thing in this particular case, as it would be anywhere. Unfortunately I can't say if it's exactly what you'd expect for the PA IV reservoir since I can't find out its depth. Maybe the fiigure is buried in an old RNS, but I couldn't find it on RBD's corporate website. The fact that both the well head and down hole pressures have been increasing - although we don't yet know the rate of increase - indicates that there is effective reservoir permeability which can only - I hope - be improved by acidisation, but it's not necessarily so in every case. However, there is a tradition of successful acidisation in the area. I have to say that the operator seems to be on an extended schedule but this may be down to the difficulties of mobilisation of equipment in these difficult times. Also, I've no idea whether the "influx of reservoir fluids" is reservoir water, possibly drilling mud filtrate, or perhaps even condensate. We would need to see the test results. I'm sorry to be so clueless but we don't have enough info at this early stage in the testing
Miler, 210 bar is over the pressure of a full scuba diving air tank (180-200 bar).
If you open the valve of a full tank without the regulator stages attached the air comes screaming out at that pressure! So it is definitely ‘pressure’. Where it stands in gas reservoir terms is another matter.
Very steady guys ADX it seems.
In Rd he meantime we will see what happens before next Wednesday.....
Interested to read about Scarborough and offshore environmental concerns as about to go to N York Moors as part of showing son potential university choice. Not sure we’ll be diverting via W Newton.
More games ahead?
3046 psi pressure, will need the like of GreyPanther to give his thoughts if that is sufficiently high enough pressure, it does state porosities of 20% and no reservoir depletion. Just need to overcome the mud filtrate build up ( expected) with acidisation.
It does appear promising but we will wait and see.
Also an influx of reservoir fluids ? Are we talking condensates which are common with gas ?
GP over to you mate if you don't mind.
atb.