Natural gas and oilfield in the North Sea
Gorm is a natural gas and oilfield in the Danish Sector of North Sea. It was discovered in 1971 and is the largest oilfield exploited by Denmark.[1] The production infrastructure consists of five bridge-linked platforms[2] and is operated by BlueNord. The facilities include two wellhead platforms and several processing platforms. The Rolf and Dagmar fields are satellites to Gorm.
Reservoir
The reservoir properties of the Gorm field are as shown.
Properties of Gorm reservoir[3]
| Property
|
Value
|
| Block
|
5504/16
|
| Production horizon
|
Upper cretaceous Danian chalk
|
| Field delineation, km2
|
63
|
| Reservoir depth, feet
|
6,600 to 7,200
|
| Hydrocarbon column, feet
|
500
|
| Density °API
|
33.5
|
| Gas / oil ratio
|
1789
|
| Sulphur content %
|
0.2
|
| Porosity %
|
27-35
|
| Total reserves oil, million barrels
|
110-600
|
| Total reserves gas, billion cubic feet
|
353
|
Infrastructure
Installations
The installations developed for the Gorm field were as follows. The water depth at the site is 39 metres.[3]
Gorm field installations
| Platforms
|
Coordinates
|
Function
|
Type
|
Legs
|
Substructure weight, t
|
Topsides weight, t
|
Well slots
|
Installed
|
Production start
|
Production to
|
| Gorm A
|
55.579105N
4.757856E
|
Drilling & wellhead
|
Steel jacket
|
4
|
1080
|
1100
|
9
|
September 1979
|
May 1981
|
Gorm C
|
| Gorm B
|
55.578531N
4.757625E
|
Drilling & wellhead
|
Steel jacket
|
4
|
1080
|
945
|
9
|
December 1979
|
March 1982
|
Gorm C
|
| Gorm C
|
55.579641N
4.758695E
|
Processing & accommodation (97 beds)
|
Steel jacket
|
8
|
3500
|
10,200
|
–
|
July 1980
|
May 1981
|
Gorm E
|
| Gorm D
|
55.579041N
4.750050E
|
Flare tower
|
Steel jacket
|
3
|
750
|
220
|
–
|
February 1981
|
–
|
|
| Gorm E (owned by DONG oil pipe A/S)
|
55.580749N
4.759857E
|
Riser and pumping
|
Steel jacket
|
4
|
1634
|
3900
|
–
|
April May 1982
|
|
Gas to Tyra (14 inch pipeline), condensate to onshore (20 inch pipeline)
|
| Gorm F
|
55.578398N
4.757050E
|
Well head, processing
|
Steel jacket
|
|
2000
|
11000
|
|
1991
|
|
|
In 2014 there were 32 oil production wells, one gas injection well, and 14 water injection wells.[4]
Pipelines
A number of pipelines transport fluids to and from the Gorm field. The Skjold, Rolf and Dagmar fields are satellites of Gorn
Gorm field pipelines[5]
| From
|
To
|
Fluid
|
Length, km
|
Diameter, inches
|
Note
|
| Skjold B
|
Gorm F
|
Oil, gas & water
|
12
|
12
|
|
| Skjold A
|
Gorm A
|
Oil, gas & water
|
11
|
12
|
|
| Rolf
|
Gorm E
|
Oil, gas & water
|
17
|
8
|
|
| Dagmar
|
Gorm F
|
Oil, gas & water
|
9
|
8
|
|
| Gorm E
|
Rolf
|
Gas
|
17
|
3
|
|
| Gorm F
|
Skjold A
|
Injection water
|
12
|
12
|
|
| Gorm D
|
Skjold A
|
Gas
|
11
|
6
|
|
| Gorm E
|
Tyra E
|
Gas
|
16
|
18
|
|
| Gorm E
|
Fredericia shore terminal
|
Oil
|
330
|
20
|
Capacity = 270,000 barrels per day
|
| Gorm E
|
CALM (see note)
|
Oil
|
|
12
|
Decommissioned
|
| Gorm E
|
CALM
|
Oil
|
|
12
|
Decommissioned
|
Note. CALM = Catenary Anchor Leg Mooring; buoys used to load ships with oil before the export pipeline was available.
Production
The original design production rate for the process facilities on Gorm C was 60,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd). The design gas injection rate was 84 mmscfd (million standard cubic feet per day). The pumping platform Gorm C had a design throughput of 90,000 bopd.[3]
The production strategy is to maintain reservoir pressure through water injection.[4]
The production data for the Gorm field is shown in the following table. Production and injection numbers are cumulative rates up to 1 January 2014.
About 400 barrels per day (64 m3/d) of crude oil from the nearby Rolf oil field are processed on the Gorm platforms.[6]
Gorm field production[4]
| Parameter
|
Value
|
| Oil production wells
|
32
|
| Gas injection wells
|
1
|
| Water injection wells
|
14
|
| Oil production, million m3
|
60.79
|
| Gas production, billion Nm3
|
15.74
|
| Produced water, million m3
|
80.35
|
| Water injection, million m3
|
137.83
|
| Gas injection, billion Nm3
|
8.16
|
| Oil reserves, million m3
|
3.0
|
| Gas reserved, billion Nm3
|
0.3
|
In 2014 the annual production was 6.3 million barrels of oil and 3,677 million standard cubic feet of gas (104 million m3 gas).[5]
Incidents
An oil leak occurred in the field on 2 March 2011.[7][6]
Dagmar and Rolf fields
The Dagmar and Rolf fields are satellites to the Gorm installations. The characteristics of the fields are as follows.
Dagmar and Rolf fields[4][5]
| Field
|
Dagmar
|
Rolf
|
| Prospect
|
East Rosa
|
Mid Rosa
|
| Reservoir
|
Chalk and Dolomite
|
Chalk
|
| Geological age
|
Danian, Upper Cretaceous and Zechstein
|
Danian and Upper Cretaceous
|
| Coordinates
|
55.576474°N 4.618248°E
|
55.605986°N 4.491481°E
|
| Block
|
5504/15
|
5504/14 & 15
|
| Reservoir depth
|
1,400 m
|
1,800 m
|
| Field delineation
|
50 km2
|
22 km2
|
| Reserves
|
|
|
| Discovered
|
1983
|
1981
|
The fields are developed through two offshore installations as shown.
Dagmar and Rolf installations[4][5]
| Field
|
Dagmar
|
Rolf
|
| Production start
|
1991
|
1986
|
| Water depth
|
34 m
|
40 m
|
| Installation
|
Fixed steel no helideck
|
Fixed steel
|
| Function
|
Wellheads no processing
|
Wellheads no processing
|
| Substructure weight tonnes
|
500
|
1,400
|
| Topsides weight tonnes
|
532
|
1,900
|
| Number of wells
|
2
|
3
|
| Status
|
Shut in 2006 & 2007
|
Producing (2022)
|
| Export, well fluids
|
9 km 8-inch pipeline to Gorm F
|
17 km 8-inch pipeline to Gorm E
|
| Import, lift gas
|
-
|
17 km 3-inch pipeline from Gorm E
|
The oil production profile of the Dagmar and Rolf fields (in 1000 cubic metres) is as shown.
Rolf and Dagmar annual oil production (1000 m3) 1986-2004[8]
| Year
|
1986
|
1987
|
1988
|
1989
|
1990
|
1991
|
1992
|
1993
|
1994
|
1995
|
1996
|
1997
|
1998
|
1999
|
2000
|
2001
|
2002
|
2003
|
2004
|
| Rolf
|
469
|
634
|
396
|
395
|
271
|
293
|
304
|
176
|
100
|
130
|
113
|
96
|
92
|
77
|
83
|
51
|
51
|
104
|
107
|
| Dagmar
|
|
|
|
|
|
475
|
305
|
67
|
33
|
35
|
23
|
17
|
13
|
10
|
8
|
4
|
6
|
7
|
2
|
Rolf and Dagmar annual oil production (1000 m3) 2005-2022[8]
| Year
|
2005
|
2006
|
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
2010
|
2011
|
2012
|
2013
|
2014
|
2015
|
2016
|
2017
|
2018
|
2019
|
2020
|
2021
|
2022
|
Total
|
| Rolf
|
79
|
89
|
103
|
78
|
76
|
60
|
1
|
|
|
|
78
|
75
|
54
|
47
|
58
|
45
|
45
|
48
|
4876
|
| Dagmar
|
0
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1005
|
