Publications

Handil Field is a giant and mature oil and gas field located in the Mahakam Delta, Indonesia. With over 500 wells drilled and over 550 hydrocarbon accumulations stacked between 230 to 3000 meters in depth, development efforts have primarily focused on the crest area, where most oil and gas reserves are found and trapping risks are lower. Since its massive exploitation began in 1975, Handil has experienced natural production decline, making it crucial to identify new pools for further development to sustain production in the Mahakam region.

The Handil peripheral area has been evaluated since the early 1980s through the Kerbau wells drilling campaign. Unfortunately, the results revealed tight reservoirs and low net pay zones. In contrast, adjacent to the South Handil Flank, Sapi exploration wells were drilled in 2000, and hydrocarbon reservoirs were successfully discovered by applying the stratigraphic trap concept. This discovery was followed by a development phase, leading to successful gas production in the Sapi field.

The geological settings of both the Handil and Sapi fields are similar, yet they are governed by different trapping mechanisms. This study aims to unlock the potential of the Handil South Flank by drawing an analogy to the Sapi field. The Handil South Flank is an undeveloped area with limited well calibrations, so it has previously been overlooked and considered at risk of trapping. Identifying trapping mechanisms and locating accumulations can be achieved through structural mapping, channel fairway reconstruction, hydrocarbon filling ratio analysis, and pressure and production performance assessments.

Since 2021, twelve development wells have been proposed, and eleven wells have been drilled to advance the development of the Handil South Flank. The findings indicate that most reservoirs are isolated from the existing producing wells in the Handil Crest and Sapi areas. Wells in the South Flank contributed to a 20 MMSCFD increase in gas production in 2022. The successful development of the Handil South Flank represents a significant milestone, opening up the possibility for further development of the peripheral areas within the Handil field.