An operator has faced a number of challenges producing heavy oil (8000–20 000 cp) from the Khuff and Kahmah carbonate reservoirs at the Mukhaizna field since their discovery in 2010. The large, low-productivity reservoirs have few analogs in the world, so the operator established new approaches to bring these reserves to market. This paper covers the staged field-development methodology, including analysis and evaluation of various development concepts, that enabled the company to optimize both completion design and artificial-lift selection, reducing downtime and lowering operating costs by nearly 50%.
Introduction
The Mukhaizna field, located in the eastern part of central Oman, was discovered in 1975 by Petroleum Development of Oman. The Kahmah Group consists of shelf carbonate deposits of Cretaceous age, whereas the Khuff formation is of Permian age, with a major unconformity between the lower Kahmah and Khuff formations. The lower Kahmah units are believed to have been either eroded away or not deposited in this area.
