ABSTRACT
The Argyll Field was discovered in 1971, brought on stream in 1975, and has the distinction of being the first oil producing field in the U.K. North Sea. Development wells have been completed with sub-sea wellheads and connected by flowlines to a floating production platform. After ten years of production the field has produced over fifty million barrels of oil.
Development drilling has proved commercial oil from five reservoir zones in rocks ranging in age from Devonian to late Jurassic. The geology of each zone is discussed in relation to environments of deposition, structure and reservoir parameters.
Field development and performance are reviewed and the timing and contribution of each reservoir to the production history are described. The benefits which have been achieved from continuing geological, petrophysical and engineering studies for identifying and establishing further development possibilities are emphasised. The complex nature of the reservoir and its effect on fluid movement and productivity are explained. The field has been produced by natural depletion which has been achieved by virtue of an efficient water drive.
This paper highlights the importance of geology and engineering in reservoir development planning.
