Publication Name: The Cooper & Eromanga Basins Australia
Authors: S. Bruland
Date Published: June 1989
Number of Pages: 23
Reference Type: Book Section
Abstract:
The first oil production from the South Australian Cooper and Eromanga Basins went on stream betweenDecember 1982 and March 1983. This was processed through field facilities at Strzelecki, Dullingati, Merrimelia
and Tirrawarra prior to being pumped to the central facilities at Moomba.
The Tirrawarra facility was designed to process high gas/oil ratio Permian oil from the Patchawarra Central fields in a parallel operation with gas production. The original production system has been, or is being, expanded
to include enhanced oil recovety through gas re-injection, artificial lift using plunger lift, and a segregation of the
oil gathering system to allow production at two different system pressures.
With the low gas/oil ratio Jurassic oil, widely scattered discoveries, increasing water cuts and the changing price
of crude oil have led to changes in the basic production and processing philosophy originally established with the Strzelecki, Dullingati and Merrimelia facilities. New fields have been brought on line rapidly through Early
Production Facilities which enable the trucking of oil to Moomba. In many cases, economic considerations dictate the retention of trucking as a permanent mode of operation. Handling increasing water volumes and piping of waxy crudes have also added to the challenge of optimising the design and operation of surface facilities.