Technology review of the Northern Bowen and Galilee basins
Michael P. Scott A * , Raymond Johnson Jr A , Janny Spilsbury-Schakel A and Andrew Garnett AA Centre for Natural Gas, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
The APPEA Journal 63 90-109 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ22116
Submitted: 9 December 2022 Accepted: 13 February 2023 Published: 11 May 2023
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of APPEA. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)
Abstract
This paper reviews and summarises the work that has been conducted and the technology used in exploring and developing the Northern Bowen and Galilee basins in Queensland. It examines the methods operators have used in drilling, completing and testing wells through the varying stages of exploration, appraisal and development in the different parts of the basins. It examines all the work conducted in the Betts Creek Beds and Aramac Coal Measures throughout the Galilee Basin; the Moranbah Coal Measures, Rangal Coal Measures and Fort Cooper Coal Measures in the Moranbah area of the Bowen Basin; the Rangal Coal Measures, Burngrove Formation and Fairhill Formation in the Blackwater area; the conventional and coal seam gas developments in the Rolleston area, including the Bandanna Formation plays near Injune; and the Baralaba Coal Measures in the Moura area. Wells have been completed both open and cased hole with techniques including vertical wells, both with and without hydraulic fracturing and cavitation, as well as a variety of horizontal well designs including surface to inseam wells with vertical intercept wells and multiple lateral sections, chevron wells and both heel and toe intercepts. Operators have also implemented multiple wells on one pad. Throughout the Northern Bowen Basin, horizontal well drilling has been a key technology in commercial development. Generally, activities within the Galilee Basin have not progressed as far as the Bowen Basin, but nevertheless, horizontal wells are also emerging as a key technology.
Keywords: Bowen Basin, coal seam gas, conventional wells, Galilee Basin, horizontal wells, hydraulic fracturing, well and casing design, well completion.
Dr Michael Scott is a consulting Petroleum Engineer with nearly 20 years’ experience in the industry. He currently works on various projects, including as an Industry Fellow at the University of Queensland (UQ). He studied Mechanical Engineering at UQ and then went on to complete his PhD in Aerospace Engineering in 2005. In the same year, he joined Queensland Gas Company as a Petroleum Engineer where he spent 7 years in a range of subsurface roles. In 2012, he joined Senex Energy, where his most recent role was as the Production Engineering Manager. Following this, in November 2018, he joined the Petroleum and Gas Inspectorate where he worked for three and a half years and was the Executive Petroleum Engineer (Well Operations) when he left. Michael is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and Engineers Australia, is a Chartered Professional Engineer and a Registered Petroleum Engineer of Queensland. He also has a Certificate III in Dog Behaviour and Training. |
Prof Raymond Johnson Jr is currently Professor of Well Engineering and Production Technology at UQ, Centre for Natural Gas. He has a PhD in mining engineering, a MSc in petroleum engineering, a Graduate Diploma in Information Technology, and a BA in Chemistry. Prof Johnson is a Life Member of SPE, past Queensland SPE Section chair, twice co-Chair of the SPE Unconventional Reservoir Conference Asia Pacific, 2019 co-Chair and 2021 Advisor of the Unconventional Resources Technology Conference Asia Pacific Conference, and twice SPE Regional Technical Award Recipient (Production Operations and Management and Information). Ray has served in numerous Technical and Management positions in service, operating and consulting companies in the United States and Australia. Prof Johnson is a Fellow in Engineers Australia. |
Drs Janny A Spilsbury-Schakel has a postgraduate degree in Geology (Paleontological Stratigraphy) from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. She has worked for over 30 years in the international oil and gas industry with Shell International, Santos, Woodside and Oil Search. She started off as a Wellsite Petroleum Engineer, was one of the first females to work offshore in the Northern North Sea, and has held positions as Production and Reservoir Geologist, Development Manager, Chief Geologist and, most recently, Senior Vice President Subsurface. She has worked and lived in Europe, USA, Asia and Australia, and also worked on assets in Western Siberia, Brazil, the Middle East and Africa. Janny is currently engaged as an Industry Fellow at the UQ Centre for Natural Gas in Brisbane. She is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, PESA and SPE. |
Professor Andrew Garnett has led a large multidisciplinary research program focussing on varied aspects of Queensland’s natural gas industry for more than a decade. He has more than 30 years’ international experience within multinational companies across conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon projects. Professor Garnett began his career in the oil and gas sector, prior to consulting on unconventional developments. Prior to joining UQ, he led the 500 MW ZeroGen integrated gasification combined cycle and carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, ultimately closing the project down as CEO. Most recently, as the Director of the UQ CCS Program, Professor Garnett led a 3-year study identifying strategies to make material emissions cuts in Queensland as well as to enable low carbon baseload power, deliver significant benefits for regional employment and stimulate the hydrogen economy. He has been a reviewer for the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook (natural gas) and Energy Technology Perspectives. |
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