MUBARAKPUR GAS FILED

Excessive pressure puts exploration on hold

Excessive pressure at the Mubarakpur gas field has again put exploration work on hold, delaying the possibility of finding gas reserves there. As a result, state-run Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company (BAPEX) is planning to set up bigger surface facilities to identify whether the pressure is a result of gas or it is just water. State Minister for energy Nasrul Hamid told The Independent that the authorities are certain about the presence of gas in the field.
 “However, we cannot comment on the volume of the gas right now as more testing procedures were to be done to confirm it,” he added. (Bapex) started drilling at the Mubarakpur gas field in Sathia upazila under Pabna district in August 2014. Under the plan, the drilling work was supposed to be conducted down to the gas-containing layer, at 4,770 metres underneath the earth’s surface. However, Bapex bought a blowout preventer (BOP) in 1984 with a capacity to handle the pressure of up to 10,000 pounds per square inch (psi). But pressure of around 11,000 PSI was found at a depth of 4,300 metres in Mubarakpur area. Md Atiquzzaman, managing director of Bapex, told The Independent that they have stopped drilling work at the exploration well because of such excessive pressure. “If we continue drilling there despite such excessive pressure, it might blow out,” he said, adding that Bapex engineers have plugged the hole to preclude a blowout or similar accident.  Jameel A Aleem, Director (Operation and Mines) of Petrobangla, said a positive pressure result would be a good result for the nation. “A drill stem test (DST), a procedure for isolating and testing the pressure, will be done soon and conclusion can be drawn after we get the result. We are trying to do the DST as soon as possible. Without the results, we can’t say anything,” he said. However, I can tell you that we have found gas signature during the drilling but that does not indicate that there is commercially viable gas, Aleem added.  Sources at Petrobangla and Bapex said the energy sector officials do not want to take any risk at this moment until a DST is done. Initially, the Bapex did not have adequate preparation when they faced the excessive pressure, but in the present situation, the authorities decided to bring in 15,000 PSI surface facilities to verify the pressure.
“Currently British consultants of Leader Engineers are working on the situation and redesign the Mubarakpur well and it will take one to two months to bring in all necessary equipments, “ said a Bapex official. Professor Badrul Imam of Dhaka University’s Geology department told this correspondent that there is a little chance that a big reserve can be found there in Mubarakpur field.
 “From the geological prospective, there are two gas zones there, but I believe that there can be no bid gas reserve at the field,” he said. Asked about the extreme pressure, Imam said the pressure could be the result of suppressed water as the country’s geological structure has some high water pressure zones. This is not the first time that drilling works have been put on hold in this potential structure. A Bapex official said since the Tk. 87-crore drilling works began there, work has been suspended for nearly 18 months in two phases as a result of various technical glitches and bureaucratic tangles. Earlier, in December 2014, the drilling rig was stuck at a depth of approximately 4,400 metres. Side-tracking was required to complete the drilling. After that, Bapex sought help from different foreign operating and service companies in Bangladesh. Nevertheless, it took more than 14 months to obtain approval from the government to include the side-tracking programme and the subsequent additional cost in the project proposal, said officials. Finally, in February this year, Bapex—in partnership with Halliburton—successfully side-tracked the bottlenecks and was able to resume the drilling work there. After that, the Bapex engineers found an eight-metre-thick gas-containing layer between depths of 4,596 metres and 4,604 metres. The Bapex MD said there were possibilities of finding good amounts of gas reserves in the structure. “We are thinking about bringing a blowout preventer (BOP) that can withstand a pressure of up to 15,000 psi,” he added.
Rupganj gas field was the last site discovered in 2014. Currently, the demand for gas has rocketed as the gas shortfall stands at about 1000mmcf per day.

MUBARAKPUR GAS FILED

Excessive pressure puts exploration on hold

Excessive pressure at the Mubarakpur gas field has again put exploration work on hold, delaying the possibility of finding gas reserves there. As a result, state-run Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company (BAPEX) is planning to set up bigger surface facilities to identify whether the pressure is a result of gas or it is just water. State Minister for energy Nasrul Hamid told The Independent that the authorities are certain about the presence of gas in the field. However, we cannot comment on the volume of the gas right now as more testing procedures were to be done to confirm it, he added. (Bapex) started drilling at the Mubarakpur gas field in Sathia upazila under Pabna district in August 2014. Under the plan, the drilling work was supposed to be conducted down to the gas-containing layer, at 4,770 metres underneath the earths surface. However, Bapex bought a blowout preventer (BOP) in 1984 with a capacity to handle the pressure of up to 10,000 pounds per square inch (psi). But pressure of around 11,000 PSI was found at a depth of 4,300 metres in Mubarakpur area. Md Atiquzzaman, managing director of Bapex, told The Independent that they have stopped drilling work at the exploration well because of such excessive pressure. If we continue drilling there despite such excessive pressure, it might blow out, he said, adding that Bapex engineers have plugged the hole to preclude a blowout or similar accident. Jameel A Aleem, Director (Operation and Mines) of Petrobangla, said a positive pressure result would be a good result for the nation. A drill stem test (DST), a procedure for isolating and testing the pressure, will be done soon and conclusion can be drawn after we get the result. We are trying to do the DST as soon as possible. Without the results, we cant say anything, he said. However, I can tell you that we have found gas signature during the drilling but that does not indicate that there is commercially viable gas, Aleem added. Sources at Petrobangla and Bapex said the energy sector officials do not want to take any risk at this moment until a DST is done. Initially, the Bapex did not have adequate preparation when they faced the excessive pressure, but in the present situation, the authorities decided to bring in 15,000 PSI surface facilities to verify the pressure. Currently British consultants of Leader Engineers are working on the situation and redesign the Mubarakpur well and it will take one to two months to bring in all necessary equipments, said a Bapex official. Professor Badrul Imam of Dhaka Universitys Geology department told this correspondent that there is a little chance that a big reserve can be found there in Mubarakpur field. From the geological prospective, there are two gas zones there, but I believe that there can be no bid gas reserve at the field, he said. Asked about the extreme pressure, Imam said the pressure could be the result of suppressed water as the countrys geological structure has some high water pressure zones. This is not the first time that drilling works have been put on hold in this potential structure. A Bapex official said since the Tk. 87-crore drilling works began there, work has been suspended for nearly 18 months in two phases as a result of various technical glitches and bureaucratic tangles. Earlier, in December 2014, the drilling rig was stuck at a depth of approximately 4,400 metres. Side-tracking was required to complete the drilling. After that, Bapex sought help from different foreign operating and service companies in Bangladesh. Nevertheless, it took more than 14 months to obtain approval from the government to include the side-tracking programme and the subsequent additional cost in the project proposal, said officials. Finally, in February this year, Bapexin partnership with Halliburtonsuccessfully side-tracked the bottlenecks and was able to resume the drilling work there. After that, the Bapex engineers found an eight-metre-thick gas-containing layer between depths of 4,596 metres and 4,604 metres. The Bapex MD said there were possibilities of finding good amounts of gas reserves in the structure. We are thinking about bringing a blowout preventer (BOP) that can withstand a pressure of up to 15,000 psi, he added. Rupganj gas field was the last site discovered in 2014. Currently, the demand for gas has rocketed as the gas shortfall stands at about 1000mmcf per day.