Thunder Horse oil field
| Thunder Horse oil field | |
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Thunder Horse Platform in the Gulf of Mexico in 2005.
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| Country | United States |
| Region | Gulf of Mexico |
| Location | Mississippi Canyon |
| Blocks | 776, 777, 778 |
| Offshore/onshore | Offshore |
| Coordinates | 28°06′33″N 88°29′40″W / 28.1091°N 88.4944°WCoordinates: 28°06′33″N 88°29′40″W / 28.1091°N 88.4944°W |
| Operator | BP plc |
| Partners |
BP plc (75%) ExxonMobil (25%) |
| Field history | |
| Discovery | 1999 |
| Start of development | 2000 |
| Start of production | 2007 |
| Production | |
| Current production of oil | 250,000 barrels per day (~1.2×107 t/a) |
| Current production of gas | 200×106 cu ft/d (5.7×106 m3/d) |
| Estimated oil in place | 1,000 million barrels (~1.4×108 t) |
| Producing formations | Lower Tertiary |
Thunder Horse oil field is a large offshore deepwater oil field in the Gulf of Mexico, around 150 miles (240 km) southeast of New Orleans, Louisiana.
The field is being developed by BP plc and 25% partner ExxonMobil It is the largest offshore production platform in the Gulf, with a processing capacity of 250 thousand barrels per day (40×103 m3/d) of oil and 200 million cubic feet per day (5,700,000 m3/d) of natural gas, and the field is believed to hold in excess of 1 billion barrels (160×106 m3) of oil. Actual production approached capacity in March 2009, but started to decline soon after that.
The Thunder Horse discovery well was drilled in 1999 on Mississippi Canyon block 778. It was drilled to a depth of 25,770 feet (7,850 m) from the drillship Discoverer Enterprise, hitting three intervals of oil.
A second well was drilled in block 822, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southeast of the initial discovery, reaching a depth of 29,000 feet (8,800 m) in November 2000 and also encountered three primary intervals of oil.
In February 2001 a new field known as Thunder Horse North was drilled in block 776, approximately 5 miles northwest of the original field. This well reached 26,000 feet (7,900 m) and again met three intervals of oil.
Actually developing the field was a major technological challenge due to the depth of the find. Not only are the distances large, but at such depths the formations holding the hydrocarbons create pressures over 1,200 bars (120 MPa) and temperatures of 135 °C (275 °F). Prior to Thunder Horse, no field had ever been developed at such a depth.
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Wikipedia