This reference is for an abstract only. A full paper was not submitted for this conference.
The largest non-associated gas field in the world lies off the Northeast coast of Qatar. The North Field contains reserves in excess of 900 TCF and covers an area of approximately 6000 square kilometers.
The field was discovered in 1971 and an initial drilling program ending in1995 delineated the approximate size of the structure. The first development drilling project of 15 wells was initiated in 1987 with first production occurring in 1991. Today there are four producing platforms and six LNG trains being operated by Qatar Petroleum, Qatargas, and RasGas. Plans are in place to more than double the number of platforms by 2010.
Current daily production is approximately 4.3 BCF per day with 160,000 STB per day of condensate. Projected rates for 2010 are 18 BCF per day with 610,000STB per day condensate.
As drilling has been ramping up so has the understanding of field. Reserve estimates of the early nineties were 273 TCF. Subsequent drilling and more precise modeling had led to current estimates which show the North Field to contain more than 900 TCF plus 23 billion STB of condensate.
Application of new technologies and rigorous application of existing technologies are helping us unravel the intricacies of the North Field and ensure optimal and economic development of this resource.
The fruition of the planning and development work currently underway will see Qatar emerge as the GTL capital of the world and the world's largest producer of LNG.
