| Gullfaks | |
| Location Map: | North Sea |
| Coordinates: | 61.215°N 2.28°W |
| Relief: | yes |
| Country: | Norway |
| Location: | North Sea |
| Block: | 34/10 |
| Offonshore: | offshore |
| Operator: | Equinor |
| Partners: | Petoro |
| Discovery: | 1978 |
| Start Production: | 1986 |
| Peak Year: | 2001 |
| Oil Production Bbl/D: | 39000 |
| Production Year Oil: | 2013 http://www.npd.no/en/Publications/Facts/Facts-2013/Chapter-10/Gullfaks/ |
| Est Oil Bbl: | 73 |
| Peakofproduction: | 180000oilbbl/d |
Gullfaks is an oil and gas field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea operated by Equinor. It was discovered in 1978, in block 34/10, at a water depth of 130-230 meters.[1] The initial recoverable reserve is, and the remaining recoverable reserve in 2004 is . This oil field reached peak production in 2001 at . It has satellite fields Gullfaks South, Rimfaks, Skinfaks and Gullveig.
The project consists of three production platforms Gullfaks A (1986), Gullfaks B (1988), and Gullfaks C (1989).[1] Gullfaks C sits below the waterline and the height of the total structure measured from the sea floor,[2] making it taller than the Eiffel Tower. Gullfaks C holds the record [3] of the heaviest object that has ever been moved to another position, relative to the surface of the Earth with a total displacement between 1.4 and 1.5 million tons.[4] The platform produces 250000oilbbl/d of oil. The Tordis field, which is located south east of Gullfaks C, has a subsea separation manifold installed in 2007 which is tied-back to the existing Gullfaks infrastructure.[5] [6]
| Type | Concrete gravity platform | Concrete gravity platform | Concrete gravity platform | |
| Function | Drilling, production, storage, accommodation | Drilling, production, accommodation | Drilling, production, accommodation | |
| Location | SW part of field | NW part of field | ||
| Water depth, metres | 135 | 142 | 216 | |
| Fabrication substructure | Norwegian Contractors Stavanger | Norwegian Contractors Stavanger | Norwegian Contractors Stavanger | |
| Topsides design | Aker Engineering and Foster Wheeler | Aker Engineering and Foster Wheeler | ||
| Substructure weight, tonnes | 340,000 | 173,000 | 370,000 | |
| Topside weight, tonnes | 40,000 | 25,000 | 49,000 | |
| Accommodation (crew) | 330 | 160 | 300 | |
| Legs | 4 | 3 | 4 | |
| Cells | 24 | 19 | 24 | |
| Storage capacity, barrels | 180,000 | Nil | ||
| Well slots | 42 | 42 | ||
| Wells | 21 production, 17 injection | 20 production, 13 injection | ||
| Throughput oil, barrels per day (bpd) | 245,000 | 150,000 | ||
| Water injection, bpd | 4 x 95,000 | 95,000 | ||
| Platform installed | 1986 | 1987 | May 1989 | |
| Production start | 1987 | 1988 | January 1990 | |
| Oil production to | 2 x SPM buoys (8,400 m3/hour) | Gullfaks A | ||
| Gas production to | Statfjord C | Statfjord C |
Between November 2009 and May 2010 a well being drilled from Gullfaks C experienced multiple well control incidents which were investigated by Petroleum Safety Authority Norway and summarized in a report released on 19 November 2010. The report stated that only chance prevented the final and most serious incident on 19 May 2010 from becoming a full-scale disaster.[8]
On 29, April 2016, a helicopter carrying oil workers crashed while flying from the Gullfaks oil field to Bergen. All 13 people on board were killed.[9]
The reservoir consists of delta sandstones from the Middle Jurassic Brent Group, shallow-marine Lower Jurassic Cook Formation sandstones, and the fluvial-channel and delta-plain Lower Jurassic Statfjord Formation.[1]