--> The BV Nose Field: from Discovery to Development (San Joaquin Basin, California)

AAPG Pacific Section Convention 2019

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The BV Nose Field: from Discovery to Development (San Joaquin Basin, California)

Abstract

The BV Nose field was discovered in 2012 and is the most significant Stevens sands oil discovery in the last 30 years in the San Joaquin basin. These new resources were found by integrating a fine-tuned stratigraphic framework with the 3D seismic data, and by mapping the stratigraphic sequences throughout the seismic volume. BV Nose is not only significant in size but also because it was discovered in the relatively mature Stevens sand play. The Stevens sandstones are a series of Miocene deep marine turbidite sands encased within the Monterey formation shales. The San Joaquin basin was surrounded by highlands whose erosion supplied the sediment for the deep marine Stevens turbidites. All the present-day major structures in the southern part of the basin were already tectonically active, so the sand distribution was controlled by those paleo bathymetric sea floor highs. Almost every major anticline in the southern San Joaquin basin has a Stevens oil field formed by the pinch-out of the sands against both structural plunging noses. BV Nose is one of those accumulations. After an initial phase of exploration and appraisal mode between 2012 and 2014, the field started a new phase of full primary development in 2017. Development of the field is undertaken from a detailed Stevens sands geological model, used 3D seismic interpreted surfaces to define the top and base interval, and isochore mapping from well control and seismic-guided trends to define the internal subzones architecture of the sands. Sand and shale facies were geostatistically distributed within the main channel belts with influence from azimuthal sand channel trends. To capture the variations from cleaner to thin-bedded sands, the facies were then populated with sand quality types. Petrophysical properties were conditioned to and distributed within each sand quality type. Waterflooding initial results are showing the potential for full field implementation. Early stage development planning, depletion strategy optimization and facilities sizing have been crucial to optimize primary production operations while generating waterflood development plans. The development of the BV Nose field demonstrates CRC’s differentiating value-driven strategy in action whereby our multi-disciplinary reservoir characterization approach has been integrated with optimized and efficient development planning to maximize the value of existing infrastructure and assets.