Piper oil field lies in UK block 15/17, near the eastern end of the Moray Firth basin, 125 mi (200 km) northeast of Aberdeen, Scotland. The field was discovered in January, 1973 and confirmed as a major oil field in 1973 with five appraisal wells and one exploratory well. A steel platform with 36 well slots and space for two drilling rigs was centrally located over the field in 474 ft (144 m) of water in June, 1975, and made ready for production drilling by October 1976.

Production is from the Upper Jurassic Piper Sandstone, a high energy, marginal marine and shallow-marine, shelf sandstone with gross thickness ranging from 160 to 465 ft (50 to 142 m); net sand ranges from 131 to 378 ft (40 to 115 m); average porosity is 24%; permeabilities range from 200 to 1,200 md in lower energy bioturbated sandstones, and range from 2,000 to 10,000 md in higher energy sandstones. Kimmeridge Shale is the caprock over most of the field, but Upper Cretaceous marlstones provide the seal along some fault scarps where the Kimmeridge was removed during the Cenomanian.

The field is comprised of three folded, tilted blocks on the northern edge of the Witch Ground graben. Block I, a gently folded fault block dipping 5° northeast, has a common oil-water contact of 8,512 ft (2,594 m) subsea with Block II. Block II, a downthrown, northwest to southeast trending fault block lies southwest of Block I. Blocks I and II cover 7,149 productive acres (2,894 ha.) and have a gross reservoir column of 1,312 ft (399 m), from 7,200 ft (2,195 m) subsea to the oil-water contact. Block III (to the southwest) borders the Witch Ground graben and contains a small accumulation with a separate oil-water contact at 9,199 ft (2,804 m) subsea.

The P1 production well spudded October 10, 1976, established commercial production December 7, 1976, at more than 30,000 b/d, restricted by 5 1/2 in. (14 cm) tubing. The P7 well completed in April 1977 produced more than 50,000 b/d, restricted by 7 in. (17.8 cm) tubing.

Twenty-five wells have been drilled, four as water injectors to support a natural water drive of 250,000 b/d. Production is 280,000 ± b/d of 37° API, low sulfur oil and original recoverable reserves are estimated to be 618 million bbl.

Piper sand stratigraphy, reservoir performance, and development from a centrally located platform are discussed in detail.