A Review Of Petroleum Engineering Aspects Of Qatar's Oil And Gas

Abstract

This paper reviews, from a petroleum engineering point of view, the 60 years of discovery and development of tlie oil and gas resources within the boundaries of the State of Qatar. Up to 1990 there were four major hydrocarbon producing areas:- • one onshore the Dukhan area on the west coast of Qatar (with three major oil producing reservoirs almost on top of each other and underneath these oil reservoirs one non-associated gas reservoir), • three major offshore producing area of oil and associated gas fields, • the Idd El Shargi, Maydan Mahzam and Bul Hanine Fields to the east of Qatar, • the giant North Field of non-associated gas to the north. Qatar also shares with Abu Dhabi the offshore Al-Bunduq oilfield to the south east of Qatar which straddles the Qatar-UAE sea boundary line. Although a number of other onshore areas have been explored by seismic survey and by drilling, no further commercial oil has yet been discovered. However offshore there has been much further exploration around the current producing areas and more fields have been discovered. Since 1990 the Al-Khalij, Al-Rayyan and Al-Shaheen fields have been considered commercial and are being developed, even under the present global economic uncertainties due to low oil prices. Most probably more finds will be made, with some possibly straddling Qatar's territorial boundaries. These fields will have to be appraised, evaluated, and whenever they are considered commercial, efficient, fair production plans will have to be agreed between governments.