BreitBurn differentiates itself from its peer group by focusing almost exclusively on enhancing the recovery of oil and gas from large, complex and mature fields.

We apply integrated reservoir engineering and geoscience technologies that allow us to better understand these complex oil and gas accumulations. We believe that this better understanding allows us to design and implement development programs that optimize the amount of oil and gas reserves recovered from, and add substantial incremental reserves to, our properties. Furthermore, we believe our current asset base provides us with the opportunity to continue to grow our reserves and production.

After acquiring a property, our technical team conducts an extensive geologic and reservoir engineering study of the property to identify appropriate development opportunities. This study often involves assembling a 3-D geologic and reservoir model of the field, which guides our decision‑making on these capital-intensive investments.

Integrated reservoir engineering and geoscience technologies we currently employ include, among others:

• 3-D geologic mapping;

• 3-D reservoir modeling;

•  Advanced well logging; and

• 3-D seismic and down-hole seismic imaging

Once we become satisfied that our team has evaluated a field adequately using our integrated geologic and reservoir engineering approach, we initiate our development efforts. Many of our projects require only modest up-front capital and have limited maintenance capital needs over the life of the well. In most cases, once wells are drilled and completed they are brought on line rapidly, as the producing infrastructure (such as separation facilities, tankage and pipelines) is already in place.

These development efforts focus mainly on:

• Infill drilling, or downspacing, which involves the drilling of wells between established producing wells to increase production, including the drilling of horizontal infill wells to maximize recovery. Wells in the Los Angeles Basin are often drilled on relatively close spacing of less than 10-acres per well due to a number of factors, including the thick hydrocarbon bearing section, relatively low porosity and permeability, and extensive faulting and other reservoir heterogeneity;
   

• Behind-pipe recompletions involving the modification of an existing well for the purpose of producing oil and gas from a different producing formation or horizon;
   

• Fracture treatments and other stimulation techniques for existing and new reservoirs to increase productivity and ultimate recovery; and
   

• Waterflood projects (new projects, expansions or reconfigurations), which involve the injection of water into the reservoir through either new or existing wells with the objective of maintaining reservoir pressure and displacing hydrocarbons toward the producing wellbores.