- Burgan field
: "For the plant known as Burgan, see
Kunzea ericoides ".Infobox Oil field
name = Burgan Field
region =Middle East
country = flagicon|KuwaitKuwait
latd =
latm =
lats =
latNS =
longd =
longm =
longs =
longEW =
locblock =
offonshore = Onshore
operators = Kuwait Oil Company
partners =
caption =
discovery = 1936
startofproduction = 1946
peakofproduction = 2005
expectedabandonment = 2042
currentproductionoil = 1.2 MMbbls/d
currentproductiongas = 550 MMscf/d
estimatedstoiipoil = 75-44 Billion bbls
estimatedstoiipgas =
producingformations = Upper Cretaceous WaraThe onshore Burgan Field in the desert of southeastern
Kuwait is one of the world's largest and richestoil field s.Discovery
After its discovery in February, 1938, the
USA &UK ownedGulf Oil Corporation began commercial oil production at Burgan in 1946. Kabeer Burgan is so rich that it is one of the world's easiest production sites. There are no rising and falling oil derricks at Burgan like the ones seen at other oil fields. That is because oil practically flows to the surface on its own. Burgan has helped Kuwait become one of the largest oil exporters on the planet. Burgan accounts for more than half of Kuwait's proven oil reserves.Production capacity
The total oil production capacity of Burgan Field has been somewhat controversial. The US
Energy Information Administration estimates that the Greater Burgan field, including the Burgan, Magwa, and Ahmadi structures has a production capacity of around convert|1.6|Moilbbl/d|m3/d. [http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/kuwait.html] On the other hand, Simmons & Co. estimates Burgan field produces 2.2 mbd.Iraq war
In 1991, retreating Iraqi soldiers set Burgan Field on fire. Smoke plumes from the Greater Burgan oil field extended 50 kilometers in width on any given day, and 2.5 km thick. From satellite observations the plume appeared like a black snake in the desert that extended parallel to the Persian Gulf (EOS Project
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center ).The Red Adair Service and Marine Company extinguished 117 of the burning oilwell fires. Declassified 1991 USACIA document s showed that despite the destruction there was no significant depletion of the oil reserves and production capacity of Burgan field. [http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/declassdocs/cia/19960417/cia_70556_70555_01.html] Most of Burgan Field was rebuilt, but three gathering stations were too badly damaged to repair and remained as unofficial monuments to the destruction.Current production
In November 2005, Farouk Al Zanki, Chairman of state-owned Kuwait Oil, reported that the Burgan oil field production levels are running down. [cite news
url=http://www.mindfully.org/Energy/2005/Burgan-Field-Kuwait12nov05.htm
title=Burgan Field: Kuwait's Biggest Oil Field Starts to Run Out of Oil
date=2005-11-12 ] Burgan will now produce 1.7 mbpd rather than 2 mbpd for the rest of its 30 to 40 years. He said that engineers had tried to maintain convert|1.9|Moilbbl/d|m3/d but that 1.7 million is the optimum rate. [cite web
url=http://www.ameinfo.com/71519.html
title=Kuwait's biggest field starts to run out of oil]ee also
*
Hubbert Peak Theory
*List of oil fields References
External links
*" [http://www.simmonsco-intl.com/files/giantoilfields.pdf The World's Giant Oil Fields] " by
Matthew Simmons Research Report of Simmons & Co. International
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
