Cantarell Field
Encyclopedia
Cantarell Field or Cantarell Complex is an aging supergiant oil field
in Mexico
. It was discovered in 1976 by a fisherman, Rudesindo Cantarell. It was placed on nitrogen injection
in 2000, and production peaked at 2.1 Moilbbl/d in 2003. In terms of cumulative production to date, it is by far the largest oil field in Mexico, and one of the largest in the world. However, production has declined since 2003, falling to 464000 oilbbl/d by the end of 2010, making it Mexico's second most productive oil field after Ku-Maloob-Zaap
.
. This complex comprises four major fields: Akal (by far the largest), Nohoch, Chac and Kutz. The reservoirs are formed from carbonate breccia
of Upper Cretaceous age, the rubble from the asteroid impact that created the Chicxulub Crater
. The recently discovered Sihil (1-15,00 million barrels) contains light oil in Jurassic
strata below the other reservoirs and is generally referred to as a separate field, although its development will obviously benefit from the infrastructure already in place above it. Cantarell's oil production peaked in 2004 and has declined in subsequent years, with further decline expected in the future.
, the national oil company of Mexico, finally investigated it and found the oil deposit.
The Cantarell Field's porosity - or holes in the rock where the oil is located - is believed to be the result of a rubble pile from an asteroid strike that took place some 65 million years ago. This asteroid, which led to the formation of what has become known as the Chicxulub Crater on the Yucatan Peninsula, is thought to have been 6 miles (9.7 km) in diameter. Many scientists attribute this particular asteroid strike as being the “extinction event” that took out the dinosaurs. The impact energy from the strike is believed to have been some 2 million times that of the largest man-made explosion, that of the Tsar Bomba
, a 50 megaton hydrogen device set off by Russia in 1961.
By 1981 the Cantarell complex was producing 1.16 Moilbbl/d. However, the production rate dropped to 1 Moilbbl/d in 1995. The nitrogen
injection project started operating in 2000, and it increased the production rate to 1.6 Moilbbl/d, to 1.9 Moilbbl/d in 2002 and to 2.1 Moilbbl/d of output in 2003, which ranked Cantarell the second fastest producing oil field in the world behind Ghawar Field
in Saudi Arabia
. However, Cantarell had much smaller oil reserves than Ghawar, so production began to decline rapidly in the second half of the decade.
In July 2008, daily production rate fell sharply by 36% to 973668 oilbbl/d from 1.526 Moilbbl/d a year earlier. Analysts theorize that this rapid decline is a result of production enhancement techniques causing faster short-term oil extraction at the expense of field longevity. By January 2009, oil production at Cantarell had fallen to 772000 oilbbl/d, a drop in production of 38% for the year, resulting in a drop in total Mexican oil production of 9.2%, the fifth year in a row of declining Mexican production.
In 2008, Pemex expected Cantarell's decline to continue to 2012 and eventually stabilizing at an output level of around 500000 oilbbl/d. By September 2009 this figure was already achieved, marking one of the most dramatic declines ever seen in the oil industry. Production is now expected to stabilize at 400000 oilbbl/d. The shortfall is having a negative effect on Mexico's annual government budget and sovereign-credit rating.
In order to try to maintain heavy crude production in the Bay of Campeche, PEMEX is focusing its efforts on the development of the Ku-Maloob-Zaap
complex in an adjacent area, which can be connected to the existing facilities of Cantarell. Ku-Maloob-Zaap complex is expected to produce 0.8 Moilbbl/d by the end of decade. In 2009, Ku-Maloob-Zaap replaced Cantarell as Mexico's most productive oil field.
Oil field
An oil field is a region with an abundance of oil wells extracting petroleum from below ground. Because the oil reservoirs typically extend over a large area, possibly several hundred kilometres across, full exploitation entails multiple wells scattered across the area...
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It was discovered in 1976 by a fisherman, Rudesindo Cantarell. It was placed on nitrogen injection
Enhanced oil recovery
Enhanced Oil Recovery is a generic term for techniques for increasing the amount of crude oil that can be extracted from an oil field...
in 2000, and production peaked at 2.1 Moilbbl/d in 2003. In terms of cumulative production to date, it is by far the largest oil field in Mexico, and one of the largest in the world. However, production has declined since 2003, falling to 464000 oilbbl/d by the end of 2010, making it Mexico's second most productive oil field after Ku-Maloob-Zaap
Ku-Maloob-Zaap
Ku-Maloob-Zaap is the most productive oil field in Mexico. Ku-Maloob-Zaap is made up out of three relatively large fields Ku, Maloob and Zaap which are located to the immediate northwest of the Cantarell field....
.
Location
Cantarell is located 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) offshore in the Bay of CampecheBay of Campeche
The Bay of Campeche is the southern bight of the Gulf of Mexico. It is surrounded on three sides by the Mexican states of Campeche, Tabasco and Veracruz. It was named by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba and Antonio de Alaminos during their expedition in 1517...
. This complex comprises four major fields: Akal (by far the largest), Nohoch, Chac and Kutz. The reservoirs are formed from carbonate breccia
Breccia
Breccia is a rock composed of broken fragments of minerals or rock cemented together by a fine-grained matrix, that can be either similar to or different from the composition of the fragments....
of Upper Cretaceous age, the rubble from the asteroid impact that created the Chicxulub Crater
Chicxulub Crater
The Chicxulub crater is an ancient impact crater buried underneath the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. Its center is located near the town of Chicxulub, after which the crater is named...
. The recently discovered Sihil (1-15,00 million barrels) contains light oil in Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
strata below the other reservoirs and is generally referred to as a separate field, although its development will obviously benefit from the infrastructure already in place above it. Cantarell's oil production peaked in 2004 and has declined in subsequent years, with further decline expected in the future.
History
The first field was discovered in 1976 by Rudesindo Cantarell, Sr., a fisherman who complained that the oil seepage was ruining his fishing nets. PEMEXPemex
Petróleos Mexicanos or Pemex is a Mexican state-owned petroleum company. As of 2010, with a total asset worth of $415.75 billion, it is the second non-publicly listed largest company in the world by total market value, and Latin America's second largest enterprise by annual revenue as of 2009...
, the national oil company of Mexico, finally investigated it and found the oil deposit.
The Cantarell Field's porosity - or holes in the rock where the oil is located - is believed to be the result of a rubble pile from an asteroid strike that took place some 65 million years ago. This asteroid, which led to the formation of what has become known as the Chicxulub Crater on the Yucatan Peninsula, is thought to have been 6 miles (9.7 km) in diameter. Many scientists attribute this particular asteroid strike as being the “extinction event” that took out the dinosaurs. The impact energy from the strike is believed to have been some 2 million times that of the largest man-made explosion, that of the Tsar Bomba
Tsar Bomba
Tsar Bomba is the nickname for the AN602 hydrogen bomb, the most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated. It was also referred to as Kuz'kina Mat , in this usage meaning "something that has not been seen before"....
, a 50 megaton hydrogen device set off by Russia in 1961.
By 1981 the Cantarell complex was producing 1.16 Moilbbl/d. However, the production rate dropped to 1 Moilbbl/d in 1995. The nitrogen
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
injection project started operating in 2000, and it increased the production rate to 1.6 Moilbbl/d, to 1.9 Moilbbl/d in 2002 and to 2.1 Moilbbl/d of output in 2003, which ranked Cantarell the second fastest producing oil field in the world behind Ghawar Field
Ghawar Field
Ghawar is an oil field in Saudi Arabia. It is located in Al-Ahssa, Saudi Arabia. Measuring , it is by far the largest conventional oil field in the world. The field is entirely owned and operated by Saudi Aramco, the nationalized Saudi oil company...
in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. However, Cantarell had much smaller oil reserves than Ghawar, so production began to decline rapidly in the second half of the decade.
Production decline
Luis Ramírez Corzo, head of PEMEX's exploration and production division, announced on August 12, 2004 that the actual oil output from Cantarell was forecast to decline steeply from 2006 onwards, at a rate of 14% per year. In March 2006 it was reported that Cantarell had already peaked, with a second year of declining production in 2005. For 2006, the field's output declined by 13.1%, according to Jesús Reyes Heróles, the director-general of PEMEX.In July 2008, daily production rate fell sharply by 36% to 973668 oilbbl/d from 1.526 Moilbbl/d a year earlier. Analysts theorize that this rapid decline is a result of production enhancement techniques causing faster short-term oil extraction at the expense of field longevity. By January 2009, oil production at Cantarell had fallen to 772000 oilbbl/d, a drop in production of 38% for the year, resulting in a drop in total Mexican oil production of 9.2%, the fifth year in a row of declining Mexican production.
In 2008, Pemex expected Cantarell's decline to continue to 2012 and eventually stabilizing at an output level of around 500000 oilbbl/d. By September 2009 this figure was already achieved, marking one of the most dramatic declines ever seen in the oil industry. Production is now expected to stabilize at 400000 oilbbl/d. The shortfall is having a negative effect on Mexico's annual government budget and sovereign-credit rating.
In order to try to maintain heavy crude production in the Bay of Campeche, PEMEX is focusing its efforts on the development of the Ku-Maloob-Zaap
Ku-Maloob-Zaap
Ku-Maloob-Zaap is the most productive oil field in Mexico. Ku-Maloob-Zaap is made up out of three relatively large fields Ku, Maloob and Zaap which are located to the immediate northwest of the Cantarell field....
complex in an adjacent area, which can be connected to the existing facilities of Cantarell. Ku-Maloob-Zaap complex is expected to produce 0.8 Moilbbl/d by the end of decade. In 2009, Ku-Maloob-Zaap replaced Cantarell as Mexico's most productive oil field.