SALES GAS AND ETHANE STORAGE PROJECTS—MOOMBA FIELD, LOWER DARALINGIE BEDS

Abstract

The Lower Daralingie Beds of the Moomba Field were first used for storage in 1981 with the startup of the Sales Gas Storage Project. The Ethane Storage Project was initiated in 1984, and both storage projects are now being operated simultaneously in this reservoir.

Sales gas is being stored for the purpose of providing peak shaving capacity during periods of high demand, while ethane is being stored to guarantee feedstock requirements if a petrochemical market eventuates. At present three wells are being used for ethane storage in the northern portion of the Lower Daralingie Beds, and in the southern portion two wells are being used for sales gas storage.

The Lower Daralingie Beds were partially depleted prior to being converted to a storage reservoir. In the South Dome of the Moomba Field the reservoir consists of two gas bearing sandstone units which can be correlated across the field. The average net pay of the storage wells is 7 ft with flow capacity varying up to 3300 md-ft. Production rates up to 1.6 × 106 m3/d (58 × 106 ft3/d) have been recorded from 11 ft of sand.