Microfacies analysis and reservoir discrimination of channelized carbonate platform systems: An example from the Turonian Wata Formation, Gulf of Suez, Egypt

Abstract

The channelized carbonate reservoirs played important role in the global hydrocarbon production. This study presents a new contribution to the carbonate platform system of the Turonian sediments in the Gulf of Suez. The siliciclastic fluvial channelized system incised the carbonate platform in October Field to deposit excellent reservoir unit. Also, the study interprets the facies change, depositional environment, and petrophysical characteristics of the Turonian Wata sequence, to figure out the fluvial channel reservoir distribution and discrimination using surface outcrops in addition to five cored wells. The petrographic analysis and depositional settings interpretations were conducted to the subsurface and outcrop samples. Then, the conventional core analysis measurements were combined with borehole logs for optimum reservoir discrimination, rock typing, and flow units interpretation. Besides, we studied the reservoir heterogeneity and predict permeability and reservoir rock typing in the un-cored intervals. Our finding revealed that the Wata Formation is subdivided into three main lithological units characterized by 16 microfacies. The lower and upper ones are carbonate dominated, composed of wackestones, packstones, and grainstones which is deposited in platform setting belong to lower/middle shelf and mid/outer shelf to outer ramp setting respectively. The middle unit is classified into lower and upper zones, where the lower clastic zone is composed of vari-sized sandstones, siltstone, and mudstone with some plant remains deposited in a point bar of fluvial channel and flood plains. The upper zone is composed of clastic/carbonate intercalations deposited in intertidal/shelf settings. The integration between the petrography and petrophysics enables discriminating the Wata sandstone reservoir into four static rock types (PSRT 1–4), which are controlling its reservoir quality and heterogeneity. The PSRT1 and PSRT2 have the best reservoir quality in the channelized unit and are recommended to be tracked along with October Field. The HFU2 and HFU3 are the main flow capacity in the Wata reservoir, composed of PSRT1 and PSRT2, and represented by the calcareous and ferruginous quartz arenite microfacies. This study presented a secondary dolomitized microfacies with 85% oil potentiality resulted from the incision of the fluvial channel above the aerially exposed carbonate lower unit. The research addressed the optimized petrophysical properties and reservoir heterogeneity of the channelized Wata sequences. In addition, it highlights a guidelines for further exploration and production of these reservoirs in the basin.