MicroSeismic meets ONGC for Kalol development
Houston-based MicroSeismic will showcase its new seismic technology to ONGC later this month (April) as the state-owned explorer prepares to ramp up production at the ageing onland Kalol field in Gujarat.
Ground-breaking 'micro-seismic' technology uses downhole sensors to monitor subsurface conditions during ‘fracking’ as well as mapping water flow and rock splitting to help better understand reservoir stimulation. “We will see what they say and then perhaps issue a tender to shoot ‘micro-seismic’,” confirms ONGC.
"Within six months we’ll have a model and road map to develop Kalol." Cairn and Schlumberger Asia Services first piloted ‘micro-seismic’ technology in India in 2011 in Rajasthan.
ONGC has drilled more than 700 vertical exploration and development wells at Kalol, extracting 10m tonnes of the originally estimated 25m tonnes of recoverable oil. What ONGC now proposes are high angle, directional and horizontal wells with multi-stage ‘fracking’ to increase Kalol production from 7000 b/d to 8400 b/d in two years.
Producing since 1964, Kalol also pumps out 1600 cm/d of gas from over 400 wells. "Kalol is a young field that can produce for another 23 years,” adds ONGC.
Kalol reserves, believes ONGC, could be larger than previously estimated and ONGC is aiming to recover 30m tonnes by 2030.
