Designing the comprehensive development of hard-to-recover reserves in the Frolov mega-depression: infrastructure and technological solutions

The relevance of this study is based on the need to engage hard-to-recover reserves of hydrocarbons, which represent a large part of Russia’s resource base, in tight deadline of limited tax exemptions. This article aims to analyze and systematize engineering technological, and infrastructure solutions that enable economically efficient development of HTRR under defined time and regulatory limits. The study methodology relies on analysis of geological and reservoir characteristics, evaluation of reservoir properties of the Bazhenov and Tyumen suites, and numerical modeling of production profiles and infrastructure throughput capacity. The results show a strong dependence of project economics on a 15-year tax incentive window, which requires accelerated drilling and infrastructure construction. The work identifies the key value sources of the project include preferential taxation, integration with the existing Nazym field group infrastructure, and the use of established horizontal drilling technologies with multi-stage hydraulic fracturing. The authors also analyze key bottlenecks in the oil production and transportation chain, such as the need to expand the Aprelskaya booster pipeline pumping station, trunk pipelines, and commercial metering units. Conclusions of this work emphasize the importance of coordinated planning of exploration, field development, and transportation infrastructure to realize the potential of tight reservoirs within a limited timeframe. The results can serve for similar projects in complex-built reservoirs in other regions.

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