By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Oct. 28 -- Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) connected the first well, RJS-600, in the Tupi pilot project to the Cidade de Angra dos Reis floating production, storage, and offloading vessel. The well will produce from a presalt formation on Block BMS-11 of the Santos basin off Brazil.
The company said RJS-600 will undergo technical testing until the issuance of the declaration of commerciality for the field, expected to be made in late December when other completed wells will be connected to the FPSO and the Tupi area will enter the production phase.
FPSO Cidade Angra dos Reis is moored near to the FPSO Cidade de Sao Vicente, which has handled production from an extended well test of Tupi since May 2009. To date, the extended well test has produced about 7 million bbl of oil.
Petrobras will use the data from the pilot project and extended well test for designing future production methods and facilities for presalt development projects.
To date, Petrobras has drilled nine wells in the Tupi area, with the ninth exploration well, completed last week. Petrobras noted that this well confirmed the area's light oil and natural gas potential and also proved that the oil accumulation extends to the far south of the assessment plan area. The well encountered a 128-m thick oil-bearing reservoir, reducing hydrocarbon volume estimate uncertainties for the area, the company said.
Petrobras estimates that Tupi holds 5-8 billion boe of recoverable reserves.
The company expects to drill two additional wells in the area by late December.
The FPSO Cidade de Angra dos Reis, chartered from Modec, is spread moored in 2,149 m of water and has a capacity to handle 100,000 bo/d, 5 million cu m/day of gas, and 90,000 bw/d. The FPSO has a 2 million bbl storage capacity.
For the pilot project, Petrobras expects to connect the vessel to six oil producing wells, a gas injection well, a water injection well, and another well that can alternatively inject water and gas.
Shuttle tankers will transfer the oil ashore while separated gas may be used for on board power generation, reinjection into the oil reservoir, or export ashore via a gas pipeline connecting the FPSO to the shallow-water Mexilhao platform.
From Mexilhao, the gas will flow to the Monteiro Lobato gas treatment unit, currently under construction in Caraguatatuba.
Petrobras is the operator of the block with a 65% interest. Block partners include BG Group 25% and Galp Energia 10%.
