The Arthurian gas fields are small natural gas producing areas in the UK sector of the southern North Sea, their names are associated with the legend of King Arthur. The fields started gas production from 1989 and several are now depleted and have been decommissioned.
The fields Mobil instigated the field naming convention using characters, people, places and objects associated with the legendary British King Arthur. Mobil applied it to its gas fields across the southern North Sea. The Arthurian fields span Quadrants 48, 49 and 53 from Arthur in the south east to Excalibur in the north west.
The Arthurian fields and the reservoir parameters are as follows. +Arthurian fields reservoir parametersFieldBlockCoordinatesGas reservoirGas reserves (see note below)DiscoveredOriginal licensee(s)Arthur53/2b 53/1d53.032447 2.3903283.7 bcm2003ExxonMobilAvalon49/09b104 bcfDecember 1989MobilCamelot North53/1aLower Permian Leman sand Rotliegendes2.30 bcmNovember 1967Mobil North Sea LtdCamelot Central South53/1a7.20 bcmJune 1987Mobil North Sea LtdCamelot North East53/252.972000 2.21444Permian0.90 bcmMarch 1988Mobil North Sea LtdExcalibur48/17a
48/18a53.465083 1.344583Rotliegendes7.1 bcm1988Mobil North Sea LtdGalahad48/1253.546722 1.360611153 bcfMobilGawain49/29a53.171136 2.701406Leman sands196 bcf1970ARCOGuinevere48/17b53.414833 1.273639Permian2.07 bcm1988Mobil North Sea Ltd (25.5%)Lancelot48/17a 48/18a53.41002 1.375306Permian5.60 bcm1986Mobil North Sea LtdMalory48/12d5.543611 1.244167Rotliegendes35 bcf1997MobilMordred48/12bSuperiorTristan49/29bPermian0.80 bcmMay 1976Mobil (60%)Tristan NW49/29Granby Note: bcm = billion cubic metres, bcf = billion cubic feet
Developments The fields were developed with an array of platforms and subsea completions. Production from the fields was principally routed via existing infrastructure to the onshore Bacton gas terminal. +Arthurian fields offshore installationsFieldWater depth, metresField installationsExport toExport pipeline, length and diameter (inches)Production startedDecommissionedCurrent or last operatorArthur423 Subsea wellsThames 49/28A18.2 miles, 12”20052014EssoAvalon (developed as Windermere)35Fixed steelMarkham6.8 km, 8"April 1997April 2016IneosCamelot North15Fixed steel CALeman 27A9 miles, 12”October 19892011ERT, PerencoCamelot Central South15October 19892011PerencoCamelot North East43Fixed steel CBCamelot CA1 mile, 6”December 19922002 (reused)Excalibur27Fixed steel EALancelot5 miles, 12”October 19892017PerencoGalahad20Fixed steel monotowerLancelot16 kmNovember 1995OperationalPerenco, Chieftan, Premier PictGawain37SubseaThames 49/28A9.6 miles, 12”October 19862014PerencoGuinevere17Fixed steelLancelot4 miles, 8”June 1993YesPerencoLancelot21Fixed steelBacton40 miles, 20” (LAPS)June 1993OperationalPerencoMalory21Fixed SteelTee on Galahad -Lancelot pipeline10”October 1998OperationalPerencoMordred20Subsea wellGalahadTristan37Subsea drilled from WellandWelland & ThamesNov 19922014SilverstoneTristan NWSubsea wellDavy15.5 km, 6”20082010Granby, Silverstone The pipeline from Lancelot to Bacton is known as the LAPS pipeline (Lancelot Area Pipeline System).
The Lancelot installation also provided an export route for gas from the Durango and Waveney fields. FieldWaveneyDurangoBlock48/17c48/21InstallationFixed steel platformSubsea wellheadWater depth, metres23OperatorARCO then PerencoBridge North Sea LtdReservoirRotliegendRotliegendGas reserves, billion cubic feet84Production start19982008Export toLancelotWaveneyPipeline, length and size7.65 km, 10-inch14.7 km, 6-inchPipeline numberPL1639PL2555
Production The peak and cumulative production of gas from the Arthurian fields was as follows. +Arthurian fields peak and cumulative gas productionFieldPeak production, bcm per yearPeak yearCumulative production to 2014, million cubic metres (mcm)Arthur0.85820052,378Camelot North0.201990921Camelot Central South0.6019906,015Camelot North East0.101993498Excalibur0.5319946,449Galahad0.70719974,579Gawain0.92919966,311Guinevere0.2719942,728Lancelot0.9319938,640Malory0.66819994,045Tristan0.2019921,062Tristan NW0.026200845Windermere (formerly Avalon)0.43819982,112
See also
Lincolnshire Offshore Gas Gathering System Leman gas field Bacton gas terminal List of oil and gas fields of the North Sea Planets gas fields Indefatigable gas field West Sole gas field Thames gas field
References