Abstract The Lennox Field is a saturated oilfield with a significant primary gas cap at initial conditions. Located in the East Irish Sea withincBlocks 110/14c and 110/15a, the field was discovered in 1992. First oil was achieved in February 1996. Lennox is a rollover anticline structure. The Triassic Ormskirk Sandstone Formation reservoir comprises good-quality aeolian and fluvial sandstones with typicalcporosities of 11–21%. The gas column reaches a height of c. 850 ft and overlays a 143 ft oil column. Oil initially-in-place is estimated to be 202 MMbbl, whilst total gas initially-in-place is 521 bcf. The field has been developed by a wellhead platform tied-back to the neighbouring Douglas Complex. The field development has been split into two phases: the first phase focused on oil production and involved the drilling of 12 horizontal and multilateral production wells and two gas injection wells. Oil production ceased in 2012 with total produced volumes of 103 MMbbl. The second phase comprised the gas cap blowdown, and the optimization of the existing well stock for gas production. Eni UK acquired the operatorship of the field in April 2014 and has focused on maximizing and accelerating gas production from the field.

Abstract The Lennox Field, located in blocks 110/15 and 110/14, was the second oil field to be developed in the East Irish Sea Basin. It contains 184 MMBBL of oil in-place within a 143 ft thick oil rim overlain by a large gas cap up to 750 ft thick. The GIIP is estimated to be 497 BCF. The field came on stream in February 1996, and it is now being developed with seven horizontal oil producers, including two multi-lateral wells and two crestal gas injectors. Production from the field can be divided into two distinct phases; the oil rim development phase, and the gas cap blow-down phase. The latter phase is currently anticipated to commence in 2004. The field structure consists of a roll-over anticline formed in the hanging wall of the Formby Point Fault during extensional faulting in Triassic-early Jurassic times, and later readjusted by contractional movements during Tertiary inversion. The oil and gas are trapped in the highly productive Triassic Ormskirk Sandstone Formation. The reservoir comprise high porosity aeolian and fluvial sandstones occurring at a shallow depth (c. 2500 ft) with a maximum gas column of 750 ft above an oil rim of 143 ft. The reservoir quality is principally controlled by primary depositional processes as no significant adverse diagenetic effects are observed. The hydrocarbon filling history was complex, with at least three phases of oil and gas generation. The field contains a light, saturated oil (45° API) with a GOR of 650 SCF/BBL. The crude contains high levels of H 2 S (0.1 mol%) and mercaptans (450 ppm), which are removed during processing at the Douglas complex. Water cut from the field is currently around 2-5%, and no free gas production has been observed to date. Gas production from Lennox is anticipated to start in 2004.

Abstract Hydrocarbon exploration in the East Irish Sea Basin began with the identification of surface oil seeps in peat beds in Lancashire, UK. This precipitated the drilling of the first onshore exploration wells. The discovery of the Formby Field in west Lancashire at the end of the 1930s triggered a wave of further drilling. Wells drilled in west Lancashire had limited success, with only minor hydrocarbon shows, whilst the production from the Formby Field was modest. Nonetheless, the invaluable geological information taken from onshore wells and the ratification of the Continental Shelf Act led to a shift in focus to the offshore and a period of significant interest in the East Irish Sea. Two key periods of oil and gas exploration activity stand out in the history of the offshore basin, the first headed by the Gas Council during the 1970s resulted in the discovery of the gas giants of Morecambe Bay, whilst the second fronted by Hamilton Oil during the 1990s heralded the discovery of oil with the Douglas and Lennox fields in Liverpool Bay. Exploration in the basin has waned during the last decade; however, to date, this mature hydrocarbon province has yielded estimated hydrocarbon reserves of over 1.8 BBOE (billion barrels of oil equivalent).

Abstract The Douglas Field is located in Block 110/13b in the East Irish Sea. It was the first oilfield to be discovered and produced in the region, having been found in 1990 and brought on stream in January 1996. The field structure comprises a series of north–south-trending, tilted, extensional fault blocks. The reservoir interval is the Triassic Ormskirk Sandstone Formation comprising good quality aeolian and fluvial sandstones. The field is relatively shallow, with the top reservoir at c. 2120 ft true vertical depth subsea. The hydrocarbon is a light oil of 44°API gravity with a maximum column height of c. 400 ft. The Douglas Field contains an estimated stock tank oil in place of 248 MMbbl and was developed with 22 wells: 15 producers, six water injectors and a single sour gas and condensate disposal well. Electric submersible pumps are installed in oil producers for artificial lift and water injection was utilized from field start-up for pressure maintenance. A water-alternating-gas pilot was implemented on the field in 2017 as an enhanced oil recovery scheme. The field currently produces at a rate of c. 4000 bopd, with approximately 90% water cut. The field has produced 103 MMbbl to date, giving a current oil recovery of c. 41%.

Abstract The Douglas Field, on stream in February 1996, is the first oil field to be developed in the East Irish Sea Basin, with an estimated STOIIP of 202 MMBBL. The field structure consists of three tilted fault blocks formed during extensional faulting in Triassic-early Jurassic times, and later readjusted by contractional movements during Tertiary inversion. The oil is trapped in the Triassic Ormskirk Sandstone Formation, which comprises moderate to high porosity aeolian and fluvial sandstones. The reservoir depth is shallow (2140 ft) with a maximum oil column of 375 ft. The reservoir can be divided into several laterally extensive units based on vertical facies variations. The reservoir quality is principally controlled by primary depositional processes, and authigenic clay minerals are not important. However, bitumen is formed extensively in specific areas of the field causing significant permeability reduction. The hydrocarbon filling history of the field was complex, with the occurrence of at least two phases of oil generation and migration. The field contains a relatively ‘dead’ oil with a low GOR (170 scf/bbl). Pressure maintenance is achieved through sea water injection, and to date ten production and six injection wells have been drilled. The crude is light (44° API) and contains high levels of H 2 S (0.5mol%) and mercaptans, which are removed during processing offshore.