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Abstract Mann Field is located in the Salin sub-basin of the central basin of Myanmar (Burma) in Southeast Asia. The field began producing in 1970 predominately from the Oligocene reservoirs. More than 650 wells have been drilled and completed, 106 million stock tank barrels of oil produced, with over 100 million barrels of water injected in an early secondary recovery project. Reservoir management and redevelopment became the focus in 1998. With this redevelopment effort and due to the incredible complexity of the reservoir system (∼20 producing intervals in a tectonically active area), the need for a complete multidisciplinary integrated characterization of the field became necessary to maximize economic reserve recovery.
The first step into systematically developing a multidisciplinary workflow is to inventory various data. A significant amount of 3D seismic had been run across the field, likewise core and outcrop information was available. A variety of engineering data including production, injection, drilling, completions, etc, was also available. However, little of the data was integrated into a full reservoir picture and significant amounts were not being used to their full potential.
This paper describes the development of a field management philosophy for a mature (brown) field that incorporates the enormous amount of available data in this field with significant remaining reserves. The company management philosophy includes all areas of development from the utilization of the strong technical staff through the full exploitation of the available data set. The use of outside consulting and training is included to take advantage of technological advancements since the field was originally developed. The need to breakdown the traditional barriers between disciplines is also demonstrated. Building trust, communication, and a working knowledge of all involved disciplines is critical for exploiting Mann Field to its full potential.
Introduction The Mann Field is located in the Salin sub-basin of the central basin of Myanmar (Burma) (Figure 1). The field was first mapped during gravity and seismic operations by the Burma Oil Company in the late 1960's. First production occurred in 1970.1 Mann Field is a tremendously complex structural system that produces from over 20 intervals in a tectonically active area. Original oil-in-place (OOIP) has been modified several times during the field's life, and current estimates put it at 433 million stock tank barrels of oil (MMSTBO). To date, 106 million STBO have been produced, which is approximately 24.5% OOIP. Peak production occurred in 1979 at 24,000 STBOPD.
Operationally, Mann Field has had an interesting developmental history. Several different entities have operated the field at various times in the past. In 1999, Myanmar Petroleum Resources Limited (MPRL) took over operations of the field. MPRL is a unique entity in that it operates the field and oversees the technical development through a Performance Compensation Contract established with the Myanmar Ministry of Energy and the state-owned oil company, Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE). MPRL does not own a direct working interest in the field, and instead receives a commission based on incremental production over an agreed-upon primary decline.
In 1999, MPRL management instituted a new focus on overall reservoir management and redevelopment in the Mann Field. Historically, the wells in the field had been treated as standalone units, with minimal thought to a broad-based, overall, multidisciplinary integrated field system. This practice of drilling each well in isolation was due in part to the remoteness and isolation of the field, which is 330 miles (∼530 kilometers) from the main engineering office in Yangon, Myanmar. It also results from the poor communication and logistics system available for contact between the engineering and operations staff (no internet or computer communication is available and physical travel takes a minimum of nine hours over rough roads). Finally, maximizing daily production versus the long-term field cumulative production has always been the main concern. The new focus called for a review of the tremendous amount of data available and a new focus on integrating these data, as well as technical staff and field personnel, for an overall field picture.
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