7227/10-1

General

Well 7227/10-1 was drilled to test the Saturn prospect in the Nordkapp Basin in the Barents Sea. The primary objective of the well was to prove a commercial oil volume in Intra Carnian (Snadd) reservoir sandstones. Secondary objectives were to test the hydrocarbon and potential in the Early-Middle Triassic Kobbe Formation and to test the presence and quality of the Early-Middle Triassic (Ladinian) source rocks.

Operations and results

Wildcat well 7227/10-1 was spudded with the semi-submersible installation Transocean Spitsbergen on 12 October 2014 and drilled to TD at 3152 m in the Middle Triassic Kobbe Formation. No significant problem was encountered in the operations. The well was drilled with seawater and hi-vis sweeps down to 600 m and with Glydril mud from 600 m to TD.

The well penetrated Tertiary, Cretaceous claystones, Jurassic claystones, sandstones and siltstones as well as Triassic sandstones, claystones, siltstones and coal stringers. Top of the Intra Carnian reservoir was encountered at 2288 m (2282 m TVD). Top of the Kobbe reservoir was encountered at 2785 m (2776 m TVD). No hydrocarbons were encountered in any of the reservoir levels. A thin (2.5 m) source rock sequence was penetrated at 2780.7 m (2779.7 m) at the base of the Snadd Formation. Analyses of sidewall cores from this sequence show average TOC of 5% and average Rock-Eval Hydrogen Index of 400 mg HC/g TOC, which correspond to excellent oil prone character, although too thin in well position to be an effective source rock. Only trace oil shows were described in this well. The shows were observed post-well in the laboratory, mostly in the interval 2450 to 2531 m in the Snadd Formation.

No cores were cu