Publication Name: The North West Shelf Australia
Authors: I.H. Lavering and S. Ozimic
Date Published: July 1988
Number of Pages: 18
Reference Type: Book Section
Abstract:
The thirty-three known petroleum accumulations in the Bonaparte Basin comprise oil, oil/ gas, and gas/condensate in reservoirs of Devonian to Tertiary age. The largest of these oil accumulations, Challis, Jabiru,
Puffin and Skua, occur in fault and faulted-anticline traps in the Vulcan Sub-basin, Ashmore Platform and Jabiru Terrace. The largest known gas accumulations, Petrel and Tern, occur in anticlinal traps in the Permian
of the Petrel Sub-basin.
Petroleum properties and composition vary with age of source rocks and reservoirs. Permian, Carboniferous
and Devonian oils are lower in gravity than Mesozoic oils because of source rock type and maturation history.
Gases trapped in Permian and Carboniferous sequences contain a higher proportion of nitrogen and carbon
dioxide.
Development of the Jabiru accumulation using a floating production facility, and the proposed development of Challis using a similar facility illustrate how the viability of these accumulations is dependent on newly applied engineering approaches.