The Lisburne Group is a Pennsylvanian-Missisippian age carbonate sequence which underlies the main Permo-Triassic producing horizon at Prudhoe Bay. During the last three years, delineation and appraisal efforts have accelerated leading to financial commitment to field development. Production startup is scheduled for December 1986.

This paper discusses the details of well planning and implementation necessary for the evaluation of this complex, fractured, low permeability limestone and dolomite reservoir. Well operations and testing have included techniques previously uncommon or unused in the Alaskan Arctic such as lightweight mud and cement, bland and pressure coring, open-hole tests with open-hole solvent stimulations, nitrified acid treatments, nitrogen lift of cased hole tests and fracture treatments. These methods helped ensure conclusive tests in a formation that is characteristically difficult to test and also established procedures to affect commercial well completions.

Methods used in the analysis of well results are also discussed briefly to provide some insight into the use of the well data in the overall evaluation process.

Keywords:
drillstem/well testing, limestone, society of petroleum engineers, objective, stimulation, drillstem testing, drilling, prudhoe bay, stimulation treatment, initial development area
Subjects:
Well Planning, Drilling Operations, Pressure Management, Drilling Fluids and Materials, Casing and Cementing, Well & Reservoir Surveillance and Monitoring, Reservoir Characterization, Reservoir Fluid Dynamics, Formation Evaluation & Management, Unconventional and Complex Reservoirs
Copyright 1986, Society of Petroleum Engineers
You can access this article if you purchase or spend a download.