This week’s Analogue Spotlight is the Kristin Field in Norway. This global oil and gas analogue provides a novel case study demonstrating how to successfully develop and produce from HPHT wells; despite challenging subsurface conditions.

Here, ‘HPHT’ refers to reservoirs at temperatures of greater than 300 °F and pressures of greater than 10,000 psi. Common industry challenges with HPHT wells include:

• High cost
• Fluid instability
• Decreased reliability of equipment at extreme conditions
• Increase risk of well blowout.

One novel solution for such challenging production settings is the Kristin Field (Fig 1). In this analogue, pressure protection and temperature management systems were installed to prevent both overpressure and temperature issues caused by fluid remaining in connections and piping. The wells were also choked back to slow down depletion and increase safety margins while drilling.