Disc Contents IPA, 2006 - 4th Annual Convention Proceedings, 1975
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PROCEEDINGS INDONESlAN PETROLEUM AsSOCIATlON
Fourth Annual Convention, June 1975
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THE HANDIL OIL FIELD IN EAST MALIMANTAN
I. INTRODUCTION
The exploration for hydrocarbons was ini-
tiated in East Kalimantan as early as 1895.
Although many geological and geophysical
teams worked in this area for more than
7 0 years, t h e Handil oil field located un-
der t h e Mahakam delta escaped detection.
It was only in Sept. 1973 that a modern
quality seismic survey was run over the
delta area and discovered the anticline fea-
ture of Handil. The first well was drilled
in March-April 1974: it indicated a con-
siderable thickness of hydrocarbon bearing
sands that 9 wells to date have better
defined.
The report given here is the work of a
team of cxploratioilists all ot which in truth
should be cited as co-authors of this pa-
par: we thank all for their efforts and
especially Messrs. Bzrthon. Elie, Gerard,
Craniez, Lavieuville, Ledeuil, Oesterle,
Roux and Bourdaire.
We also thank Pertamina for their permis-
sion to present these data. Total Indonesie
and Japex Indonesie gave their support in
the preparation of this report.
2. PHYSIOGRAPHY AND VEGETATION
The Hand1 area now located In the
Soth Mdhakam river (Fig I ) an
area where the normal external intertidal
meandering river system has been obli-
terated b y the Of the main Maha-
kam river whose seaward exit is moreover
deviated southwaids by the general North
to South marine offshore current The
Handil structure is exactly on t h e present
indin channel of the Mahakam river, thus
explaining why it maintams a hnear flow
direction as compared t o the pronounced
meandering elsewhere in the delta
41
Ph. MAGNIER * )
BEN SAMSU **)
The exit of these rivers towards the sea is
restricted by numerous sand bars which
are formed by the sediments brought
down b y t h e rivers themselves but moved
backward (upstream) a t each e b b tide
when the sea changes the flow direction in
the river mouth. The only navigable passage
has been, and will have t o be, kept open b y
nearly continous dredging.
The rivers have an average water depth of
7-10 meters with a maximum of 15 me-
ters. The outer part of the river mouth,
however, shoals to as little as 1 or 2
meters of water which represents a very
serious navigation hazard.
The islands i ~ ?the Handil area ( P u l a La-
yangan, Jawa, Bukuan) (Fig. 2) are low
and swampy. Every tide they are covered
b y water leaving nearly n o dry place at
high tide. The vegetation is mostly Nipa-
Nipa palm trees up t o 12 meters high
with limited areas of mangrove and taller
trees. This very particular type of ground
conditions made necessary t h e use of off-
shore techniques for drilling.
3. SElSMIC STUDIES
The early seismic shrveys undertaken in
1969-70 gave very poor results as fIuvlal
techniques were followed: unconsolidated
sediments are at a maximum in the rivers
and so most of the seismic energy was
absorbed precluding any slgnlficallt reflec-
tions
In 1973 a neui method was tried usiiig
drilling, explosives and general on-shore
techniques with brldgings higher than the
*) Total Indonene, Jakarta
**) Pertamina Unit Iv, Bdlikpapw
 P
I TOTAL INDONESJE
- N

SIDE LOOKING RADAR IMAGERY OVER THE MAHAKAM DELTA

Fig. 1
43
44
high tides. The lines were located to avoid
the rivers as much as possible, and to
cross them perpendicularly. The example
line shown in Fig.5 indicates that the ri-
ver crossing does not detract from the
quality of the sections below 0.5 secs.
A total of 178 k m of line was shot in 12
fold coverage with a short intertrace of
60 m. The explosive shots were tnostly 5
kg loads set at 20 m depth.
After completion of the interpretation, an
isobath map was prepared (Fi.g.3). The ve-
locity function is rather steady around
an average velocity of 2495 m/s down to
2 sec. 2 w.t. This should he compared t o
an average of 2280 m/s over the same
reflection time in the outer trend of Re-
kapai/Tj. Bayor/Attaka where the. sedi-
ments are far less consolidated.
An isopach map (Fig. 4) of the section
between two markers located at the top
and at the base of the hydrocarbon bear-
ing sands indicates a thinning of the sedi-
ments over the axis of the Handil anti-
cline. This is very likely indicative of very
early structural growth, active at the time
of reservoir deposition. This same thinning
may be traced along t h e structural axis
j o i n i n g H a n d i l - T a m b o r a - N ilam-Badak-
Panyilatan.
The structural form of the Handil feature
is that of a regular anticline of 10,s km
length x 4 kni width. The closed area is
35 km2, the vertical closure from seismic
is 250 nis 2 w.t. o r 310 meters, which
compares rather well with the vertical clo-
sure from the well data which is 240 m
at the top of the hydrocarbon zone and
350 m at the base of it.
A seismic section through the Handil anti-
cline is shown on Fig.5. It indicates that
the feature is present in the most recent
beds, although, as already stated, it was
already growing a t the time of reservoir
deposition (isopach map Fig. 4).
Regionally (Fig.6) the Handil feature
forms the southern extension of the Ba-
dak/Panyilatan, Nilam, Tambora trend,
This N S axis runs parallel t o the Attaka/
Bekapai trend, and also parallel t o the
Sanga-Sanga anticline.
4. SEDIMENTOLOCY IN THE HANDIL
AREA (Fig.7)
An overal view of the sedimentation in
the Handil area since the Middle Miocene
time has been reconstructed. by means of
paleo-environmental interpretation of t h e
drilling samples and their correlation with
field samples collected in the recent delta
(surface- studies). Most of the microfossils
found have only a value for environment
and are not usable for chronostratigraphy.
From the base upwards the well sections
indicate the following situations:
a Lower to Middle Miocene pro-delta
sequence, indicated by AmmOnid and
dated by nannoplankton (&low 2600
n1);
progression of the delta is indicated
such that t h e Handil area became lo-
cated in t h e delta front zone of sedi-
ments, in the outer part of the delta
(2300 to 2600 in);
- further progression of t h e delta east-
w a r d , l e d t o tidal deltaic plain
sediments being predominant (Middle
to Upper Miocene) from 1400 to 2300
m;
continued progression of t h e . delta
placed the Handil area in t h e . fluvial
deltaic plan (late Miocene t o Pliocene)
from 200 t o 1400 m;
a recent retreat of t h e delta is evi-
denced by some marine indicators
being found in the upper 200 meters,
including typical Mio Pliocene marine
microfauna (Pseudorotalia catilliformis).
Most of t h e hydrocarbons have been
found in the tidal deltaic plain sediments,
now between 1400 and 2300 m.
A generalized block diagram o f the delta
(Fig.8) shows the repartition of these dif-
ferent facies and may help t o explain t h e
different types of sand bodies encountered
in the different environments.
5. RESERVOIR SEDIMENTATION
The hydrocarbon bearing reservoirs have
been the most carefully studied.
 45

_ _
Figure 3
46

Figure
 47

-1 Km

Fig. 5
48
TOTAL INDBNESIE
117'20 117O40
I 1

-0
4
C

C
-0
0,

t17920 117040

MRHAKAM DElTR - SlRUCTURRl MAP

Fig. 6
 49

TOTAL INDONESIE

STRATIG R A P H I C I N T E R PR E TAT 10N

ssw NNE

No.2 ~ 0 . 1~ 0 . 6 No 3
W-IL FIELD LOCATION MAP J PJawd P Layanpan PSukuan PLayangan

MSL 1 Om

P I I O / P I ElSTOcENE
MIO/PL I O C E N E
4 INOElERMINATE
~

500m

lO00rn

1500m

h INOETE~MINA~E
MlDOlE MIOCENE

2000

2500m

3000m

SIAP OF MODERN ENVIRONMENTS(

Figure 7
I u I AL IIYUUNtblt

KAM DELTA
SEDIMENTARY UNITS

Vegetation areas

Sands

Limestone

_ _ Shale

Figure 8

The sedimentation is known from sand
granulonietries of cutting samples, cores in
sand reservoirs, continous high density dip-
meter results and their cwrelation wlth
Gamma Ray and resistivity curves.
The reservoirs in the 1800-2200 m inter-
val are mostly formed of river transported
sands. The thickness of these sand bodies
is of t h e same order of magnitude as the
river depth, as may be seen o n the block
diagram of typical river deposition (Fig.
9): this type of channel sand has coarse
grained basal sediments decreasing in sedi-
mentary dip and in grain size towards the
t o p of the sand body. These characters
have been proven in micro-dipmeter, gra-
nulometry and shaliness studies.
6. RESERVOIR CORRELATION
I t is not possible to correlate the reser-
voirs themselves over any distance as they
are very variable and can diminish (from
2 0 to 0 m) in less than 500 meters (evi-
dence from directional wells in the cluster
HA). Correlation must be carried out
using those shaly, limey or lignitic mar-
kers that may be found: these markers
appear t o be very reliable and about 30
such markers have been identified and
traced without difficulty through oat
the whole Handil area. Between these mar-
kers, the sand bodies can be intrapolated
and then may be accurately correlated.
The reconstitution of the t o p and bottom
reservoir isobaths has been made possible
b y reference to the closest markers avai-
lable: this method, formerly utilised by D.
Bush and other stratigraphers in the Gulf
coast province, has also provided t h e data
for the identification of the nature of the
sand bodies. The (20-3) reservoir docu-
mented in figs. 1 0 & 11, clearly possesses
a flat top and an incutting "channel shaped"
bottom which, together with granulometry
on core and cuttings, leads to its identifi-
cation as a typical channel sand.
Each hydrocarbon bearing reservoir in the
field, has now been separately mapped
based on its general character (channel,
offshore bar, stream-mouth b a r . . . . .etc)
and indications for direction of increasing
51
thickness and sediment transport derived
from the high density dipmeter.
T o date 5 8 different reservoirs have been
complled on 5 8 maps which have been
used for reserve calculations. A correlation
plate (Fig. 12) indicates the very rapid
changes in the reservoirs, most of them
being meandering sand channels which may
disappear laterally in a few hundred meters.
Most of these channel deposited sand bodies,
have been found to be 5 0 0 m t o 2 km wide,
and of unlimited length in the river direction.
The maximum thickness of these sand bodies
is most often 15--20 rn, n value of the same
magnitude as the river water depth: this
is shown on the river sand deposition block
diagrdm. (Fig. 9)
7. orL AND GAS DISTRIBUTION AND
FILL
The first well drilled on the Handil fea-
ture was located on the top of the anti-
cline. I t indicated 197 m of gas bearing
sands and 55 m of oil bearing sands. The
delineation wells indicated a down flank
increase in oil sand thickness of up t o
120 meters, correlated with a decrease in
gas sands (mostly gas-caps). The cu-
mulative hydrocarbon bearing sand thick-
ness decreases from 2 5 0 m at the t o p of
the anticline t o zero a t the structural clo-
sure (well Handil '7). The Handil anticline
is filled virtually t o spill point.
The curves of oil and gas versus structural
position indicate this rather clearly (Fig.
13).
8. QUALITY OF THE OIL FOLJND IN
HANDIL
Although slightly variable, t h e Handil oil
has t h e following characteristics:
Gravity : 0,846 to 0,872
31" t o 36" API
Sulfur content : 0,06%
Pour point : - 1" C t o + 30 C
with an average 25' C
It is an aromatic/naphthenic type crude in
the light fractions. The paraffin content is
52
 53

N
a

iiii
z!
0
a
Y

\ I

I \
I
I
54
 55

H.2
TOTAL INDONESIE
H.5
HANDIL
H.l H.6 H 3 H.7

F i g 12
CORRELATION B E T W E E N HYDROCARBON B E A R I N G R E S E R V O I R S
56

HANOI1 FIELD
THICKNESS HYDROCARBON INTERVALS RELATED
TO STRUCTURAL POSITION

Figure 13
 51

WATER

THICKNESS IN
METERS

H 7 /
I
Qc (0)
58

I CUMULATlVE TH ICKNESS(meten
59

In
0

0
60

HANDIL DEVELQPMEM
SCHEME
Wells already drilled
0 Wells on development program

0 I 2 krn
4 1 1

IFIG.16

important in the heavier fractions. These
characteristics indicate that the Handil
crude I S a very valuable base for petro-
chemicals. The oil from the topmost levels
is lighter and has the lowest pour point.
9. PRODUCTION SCHEME (map on Fig. 16)
- The early stage of production (phase 1)
will start in June 75 with a planned
daily production of 25.000 b/d from a
cluster of 4 wells; H6, HA-1, HA-2,
HA-3. F o r floating storage the tanker
"Wapiti" will be used and anchored
near the Bekapai field.
- The second phase of production will
start in October 1976 with a daily pro-
duction of 100 t o 120.000 b/d from 10. CONCLUSION
30 vertical wells drilled along the banks With a potential OF 120 t o 150.000 b/d
of the 2 main rivers and gathered at a
primary separation unit within the
field. A trunck line will move the oil
61
t o t h e S e n i p a h onshore' terminal
located 1 3 kms SW of Handil dua. This
terminal will be connected with off-
shore loading facilities utilising an
S.B.M.
- Some 30 to 50 more wells will be
needed in the following years in order
t o produce the total amount of reco-
verable oil now held in the 48 oil
bearing -reservoirs. Total production rates
could slightly increase but it is more
likely that the new reservoirs will be
tapped so as to replace t h e depletion
of the first reservoirs put into producti-
on.
the Handil field is seemingly one of the
biggest single offshore oil fields found in
Indonesia to date.