Champion Field: Role of Three-Dimensional Seismic in Development Geology of a Complex Giant Oil Field

David F. Kluesner

Champion field is located some 20 mi offshore Brunei in water depths ranging from 30 to 150 ft. The field, discovered in 1970, has had 43 drilling structures installed and 229 wells plus 67 sidetracks drilled. Development for oil and gas began in 1972 and will continue into the 21st century.

The development geology of the field is at a mature stage with effort now concentrated on reservoir definition for primary and secondary recovery and the delineation of further appraisal leads. The field is set in a shallow marine to lower coastal-plain environment, which together with complex faulting makes well correlation and reservoir definition difficult.

Due to the structural complexity, the construction of reliable field maps is not easy. Former maps were based on well results, fluid data, RFT pressures, and widely spaced two-dimensional seismic lines. To improve structural definition, a 12,000 line-km three-dimensional seismic survey was acquired. A dedicated team of seismologists and geologists interpreted and integrated seismic and well data simultaneously. This, plus the use of an interactive seismic interpretation work station has proved to be essential in the interpretation and mapping of such a large data set.

The use of three-dimensional seismic in the Champion field has resulted in an improved definition of structure and reservoir, and the delineation of additional leads.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91030©1988 AAPG Annual Convention, Houston, Texas, 20-23 March 1988.