28 September 2004 - 17:00
  • News ID: 33877
Worlds Biggest Gas Injection Project to Go On Stream in Iran

Construction of a station for gas injection into Aghajari oil field is underway in Sarband region near Minakouh and Omidiyeh over 30 hectares by 500 engineers, technicians and technical workers.

So far, about 7,000 cu. m. concrete has been used in station and 3,500 sq. m. quake-resistant and blast-resistant buildings have been constructed which comprise a control room as well as an electricity station. They can resist earthquakes of up to 10 degrees on the Richter scale. The water needed for the station comes from 11 km afar and 10 MW electricity needed for the station comes from Minakouh over a distance of 8 km. The fencing is over and watch towers have been erected. About 33,000 tons equipment have been predicted and bought; most of them from abroad. So far, 23,000 tons equipment has been installed and the remainder is being transferred to the station. The beating heart of the station comprises seven Italian turbo-compressors. Six turbines and four compressors have been carried to the area and one of the turbines is being tested by specialists. Four repair wells have been drilled in the region and the distance between the first and the last well is 65 km. Oil Engineering and Development Company is in charge of all engineering and development projects within framework of design, engineering and construction plans. Institutionalization of upstream oil industry technology and making the most of domestic capabilities are among main goals of the company. Gas injection into Aghajari oil field is among 19 major plans underway by the company that will result in production of 1.4 billion barrels crude oil over 25 years and daily production of 300,000 barrels per day. Davoudi, implementer of Aghajari gas injection project, says oil fields usually lose pressure after a period of production and this causes problems for exploitation of the fields. Aghajari oil field produced about 1.15 million barrels oil in 1974 and 1975, but its output has currently fallen to 200,000 barrels per day. Under these circumstances, gas injection is the best choice for continued production from the field. Gas increases reservoir pressure and causes oil to gush out of the well. The idea of injecting gas into Aghajari oil field was brought up many years ago, but difficulties for providing needed gas aborted the project. The reservoir is 65 km long and 6 km wide and is one of the biggest onshore reservoirs of the world, which based on early estimates, contains more than 10 billion barrels crude oil. The current project will lead to production of 1.5 billion barrels surplus oil from the reservoir. Davoudi noted that Aghajari gas injection project follows three major goals: increasing reservoir pressure for producing oil, transferring gas from South Pars region to Aghajari at the rate of 2 billion cu. m. per day, which cannot be used otherwise, and finally, producing 1.5 billion barrels surplus oil from the field. The sour gas coming from phases 6, 7, and 8 of South Pars field passes over 500 km before reaching the station. The gas enjoys specific pressure, temperature, composition and volume which is not consistent with necessary conditions for injection into the reservoir. So, making the gas consistent is the first mission of the station. At present, pressure of Aghajari reservoir stands at 14 bars while pressure of gas coming from Assaluyeh is slightly above 70 bars. Therefore, there is no possibility of injecting gas into the field under normal circumstances and it could only be implemented through compression. Project's consultants have predicted that injecting 25 trillion cu. ft. gas into Aghajari oil field will increase its pressure to about 240 bars causing oil to gush forcefully out of the wells. Aghajari gas injection project is the biggest gas injection project in the world which is being carried out due to existence of needed gas and a suitable oil field. The project is of national priority and is continuously monitored by Oil Ministry and Presidential Office. The project is going on according to schedule and will be finished by late June 2005. Project's contractors are all Iranians and, if needed, they will take action for using foreign assistance. Implementors are unanimous that they hold a world record for implementing a drilling project at the lowest cost and, perhaps, it is the less expensive drilling operations in the whole history of the country. The say the most successful Iranian consortium has been formed under their supervision and management. The Royal-Dutch Shell was initially expected to finish the project at a cost three times the current figure. Later, surface operations were given to an Iranian consortium consisting of three creditable companies, thus bringing three rival companies close together for the implementation of the multi-million-dollar project. Another feature of the project is the least use of administrative and governmental manpower. The implementors only used services of six state personnel and obtain their needed specialties as PMC (procurement, management, consultation). The PMC scheme has led to closer interaction between implementers and consultants for better implementation of the project. Aghajari gas injection will have no environmental consequences. Davoudi says: "Activities related to the project totally conform to environmental standards as well as those of the Oil Ministry." He noted that the project is being carried out in a manner that environmental pollutants will cause no problem for implementers and, in future, for exploiters. Unfortunately, many domestic production units, both in state-run and private sectors, think they are unable to carry out major projects and when talking about implementing such projects by establishing consortiums, they say Iranians lack a suitable culture for team work. However, we must trust our capabilities and manage major projects through a suitable timetable. The Oil Ministry approach to domestic manufacture and maximum use of domestic manpower is a result of a mentality that believes, "We can do it." (Mashal, Sept 2004)
News ID 33877

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