Kuparuk River Unit Field - The First 30 Years

Abstract

Abstract This paper will review the history and current operations of the Kuparuk River Unit (KRU) field, the second largest field on the North Slope and one of the largest fields in the US. The field is a legacy asset in the ConocoPhillips portfolio with more than 6 BBO OOIP. The field came on line in December 1981 and has produced 2.25 BBO to date through water flood, immiscible water-alternating gas (IWAG) and miscible water-alternating-gas (MWAG) injections. Currently the field produces 90,000 bopd, 460,000 bwpd and 210 MMscf/d gas, and injects 570,000 bwpd and 160 MMscf/d miscible injectant. Some of the recent challenges at KRU include: maintaining pressure support (water injection) through an aging infrastructure, development and use of fit-for-purpose simulation models to support field management decisions, estimation of facilities back-out from a complex multi-field system, and optimization of one of the largest MWAG EOR floods in the world. History and current status of the KRU field will be discussed.