AGR Supports Norway’s Petroleum Directorate on Developing Digital Large Scale Aquifer Models

Our Reservoir Management and Subsurface team are supporting the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) on building aquifer models of a large section of the North Sea to perform production strategies that deliver greater value.

This is the first-time large-scale digital aquifer models are being constructed for the Norwegian shelf. Aquifer models can be used when licensees choose a drainage strategy for discoveries in the development phase. This means that they can avoid major investments in infrastructure for water injection. The models also make it possible to optimise the placement of CO₂ injection wells.

These digital models will give energy companies a better basis for decision-making, particularly regarding drainage strategy and predicting pressure support.

Building these large-scale regional models required a more creative approach while incorporating classical geo-modelling techniques. The objective is to model the dynamic behaviour of the common aquifer which may provide pressure support to passive oil and gas fields. This will enable a better understanding of the regional dynamics and help in future development planning.

Anna-Lena Hellman, Manager Reservoir Geology and Project Manager of the project said: “When licensees are drawing up production strategies, it’s highly useful to have a model for how the water moves around the field and how rapidly the pressure is dropping. We’re pleased to have been able to bring a multi-disciplinary team to support the NPD on designing and building the static and dynamic models using our unrivalled expertise and experience in regional geomodelling, CCS modelling, static and dynamic reservoir modelling, grid design, pressure history match, aquifer strength prediction and CO₂ plume prediction.”

In collaboration with the NPD, AGR has constructed models of the Frigg-Heimdal aquifer and the deep aquifer under Troll, where CO₂will be stored in the future.

The plan is also to use the models in work related to:

• time-critical developments in the North Sea
• blow-down on neighbouring fields and significance for pressure development in the area
• issues linked to transboundary deposits
• CCS (carbon capture and storage) and quantifying production and injection conditions, as CO₂ injection depends on a good aquifer model
• better prediction of how CO₂ moves (plume movement), thus making it possible to identify future CCS opportunities

AGR capabilities that were delivered include:

• Regional geomodelling
• CCS modelling
• Static reservoir modelling
• Dynamic reservoir modelling
• Grid design
• Pressure history match
• Aquifer strength prediction
• CO₂ plume prediction.