Ahvaz Field is a super-giant

oil field A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations. Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the prese ...

located in

Ahvaz Ahvaz (; ) is a city in the Central District of Ahvaz County, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is home to Persians, Arabs and other groups such as Qashqai and Kurds. Languages spok ...

Khuzestan Khuzestan province () is one of the 31 Provinces of Iran. Located in the southwest of the country, the province borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf, covering an area of . Its capital is the city of Ahvaz. Since 2014, it has been part of Iran's ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. It was discovered in 1953, developed by

Anglo-Persian Oil Company The Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC; ) was a British company founded in 1909 following the discovery of a large oil field in Masjed Soleiman, Persia (Iran). The British government purchased 51% of the company in 1914, gaining a controlling numbe ...

and began production in 1954. Ahvaz field is one of the richest oil fields in the world with an estimated

proven reserves Proven reserves (also called measured reserves, 1P, and reserves) is a measure of fossil fuel energy reserves, such as oil and gas reserves and coal reserves. It is defined as the "quantity of energy sources estimated with reasonable certaint ...

around , and production is centered on . The field is owned by National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and operated by National Iranian South Oil Company (NISOC).

History

Ahvaz oil field was discovered in 1953 by

(APOC). A year later, in 1954 oil production started at an average of 35,000 barrels per day. So far, more than 600 oil wells have been drilled and completed on the field. The super-giant Ahvaz field is the largest oil field in Iran and is located in the southwestern of the country, in the prolific zagros basin. Production from the field comes from the Asmari and the Bangestan

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

s which respectively started producing in 1959 and 1972. The field is one of the largest contributors to national production and although production is in decline, it remains the largest individual oil producer in Iran. In Ahwaz field, there are 5 production units that been constructed between 1953 and 1969. At present, the crude oil production is about 800,000 barrels a day and the amount of natural gas processed in this field is more than 13 million cubic meters (450 billion cubic feet) per day. The field is owned by National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and operated by National Iranian South Oil Company (NISOC).

Geology

The Ahvaz field is the third largest oil field in the world. The field is one of the most important oil fields in the Zagros basin, which is located in the Dezful embayment. The trend of ahvaz oil field is northwest-southeast parallel to the

Zagros Mountains The Zagros Mountains are a mountain range in Iran, northern Iraq, and southeastern Turkey. The mountain range has a total length of . The Zagros range begins in northwestern Iran and roughly follows Iran's western border while covering much of s ...

. The ahvaz field is a series of structures trending NW-SE caused by uplift movement due to the Zagros reverse fault, with production area of about long and wide. The ahvaz oil field is made up of three main subsurface structures, known as the Asmari, Bangestan, and Khami formations. The asmari formation deposited in the zagros foreland basin, during the

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

Reservoir

Ahvaz reportedly holds an estimated of oil; which accounts for 23% of Iran's oil reserves, estimated at 157 billion barrels. The oil sits approximately below the surface which is considered an easy target for production.

Production

As of September 2016, the field produces making up 20% of Iran's oil production of . Currently ~430 production wells are operating at ahvaz field. Oil production is operated by Karoon Oil and Gas Production Company (a subsidiary of NISOC) with 8 Production Units (degassing units) currently installed. These stations provide 3-phase separation (oil, water & natural gas). Crude oil is sent by pipeline to local refineries or pumping to ports in Kharg island for export. Natural gas is provided to Gas Injection Facilities. Water is disposed into disposal wells.

References

{{Reflist Oil fields of Iran

History

Geology

Reservoir

Production

See also

References