Next Generation

Challenges:

For Kuwait to achieve its ambitious growth targets will require focus on three new resource/reservoir types – gas, heavy oil and tight reservoirs. Gas reservoirs are deep, highly pressured, and typically contain H2S in high concentration, presenting operational and HSSE challenges. Heavy Oil production via steam injection can be inefficient due to heat leakage to surrounding formations, whilst production of heavier fractions in conventional reservoirs cannot currently be undertaken without impacting conventional production. Kuwait has significant resource potential in tight carbonates and shale’s. To date, little sampling or data collection has been carried out in these formations to ultimate potential is unclear, and optimum methods for extracting hydrocarbons have not been investigated.

Research Objectives:

The Next Generation Platform is a cross-disciplinary integrated platform with many activities under other Platforms contributing to success. The key research objectives included under the Next Generation Platform are:
  • To develop integrated workflows for the evaluation of the non-conventional resources and reservoir types
  • To develop procedures for the prediction of reservoir pressures and gas composition in HPHT reservoirs
  • To investigate mechanisms for the formation of heavy oil and to understand compositional variations
  • To screen and develop the appropriate methods for producing heavy oil
  • To understand variations in tight reservoirs and fluid flow mechanisms within these reservoirs

Research Programs:

The Next Generation Platform comprises of three Programs:
  1. Gas: Comprises research into pore pressure prediction, and drilling and completion techniques required to safely and cost effectively evaluate HPHT reservoirs.
  2. Heavy Oil: Comprises research into mechanisms of heavy oil formation and compositional variations, screening and development of appropriate techniques to maximize production from heavy oil deposits.
  3. Tight Reservoirs: Comprises the development of integrated workflows for the evaluation of tight reservoirs, research into fluid flow mechanisms, and into the appropriate drilling and completions to be employed.