Case Study: Sakhalin Energy confirms mobile oil in low-permeability Sakhalin reservoir with SLB’s Saturn 3D radial probe

Saturn 3D Probe Confirms Mobile Oil in Low-Permeability Sakhalin Reservoir at 85% Water Saturation

SLB worked with Sakhalin Energy Investment Company, Ltd. (SEIC), the operator of the Sakhalin-II project offshore Sakhalin Island, to prove whether low-water-content oil could be produced from a low-permeability southern development of the Piltun-Astokhskoye field. The main challenge was to confirm productivity at more than 80% water saturation while also obtaining low-contamination oil samples and high-quality pressure data for fluid and pressure transient analysis.

SLB addressed this by deploying the Saturn 3D radial probe, a large-diameter probe, and the MDT modular formation dynamics tester to run interval pressure transient tests and collect samples in a highly deviated sidetrack well. The toolstring successfully confirmed mobile oil at up to 85% water saturation and 0.1-mD/cP mobility, pumped 274 L of fluid in 136 hours with zero lost time, and delivered reliable fluid identification even in conditions where conventional methods were inconclusive.

Sakhalin Energy Investment Company, Ltd.