Reservoir Description and Static Model build in Heterogeneous Mauddud Carbonates: Raudhatain Field, North Kuwait

Abstract

Abstract The Early Aptian carbonates of the Mauddud Formation form giant hydrocarbon reservoirs in North Kuwait. Reservoir description and distribution of rock properties in 3D space are challenging due to inherent reservoir heterogeneity. A robust depositional model driven by sequence stratigraphy, petrophysics tuned to dynamic data and innovative static modeling techniques were used to characterize this complex reservoir. The Mauddud carbonate sedimentation took place in a low angle ramp setting. The basal part of Mauddud consists of shales and low energy carbonates deposited in a transgressive systems tract. The main reservoir was deposited during the subsequent highstand systems tract. High-energy inner ramp grainstones preserve the best primary porosity and permeability. Reservoir quality deteriorates in mid ramp to inner ramp wackestones and mudstones. Diagenetic carbonate concretions destroy porosity and permeability. It is more pronounced in mud-rich packstone / wackestone fabrics. Early hydrocarbon emplacement has terminated concretion growth in crestal areas of the field whereas concretion formation and subsequent reservoir degradation continued in the water leg through late diagenetic stages. Rudistic floatstones, radially fractured concretions and small-scale fractures in low-porosity brittle rocks are the main thief zones in the reservoir. Through the integration of core, openhole logs, production logs, and pressure transient analysis, a deterministic permeability model has been developed that characterizes the reservoir. Logs have been reprocessed to identify zones of secondary porosity (enhanced permeability) and fracture– prone zones. Porosity-Permeability transforms for matrix properties and fracture-prone intervals were developed. This methodology results in log-derived permeability profiles that match production log profiles and well test Kh estimates. A fine Geological model with 85 layers and 2.5 million cells has been built to capture the primary depositional units. The horizons bounding the flow units are major flooding surfaces. The lithofacies associations have been modeled as composite objects restricted to facies belts. As porosity was observed to be decreasing towards the flank, trend modeling has been used to model the effective porosity. Another geological model with 166 layers was built to capture the small-scale heterogeneity caused by vuggy zones and fractures. The vugs and fractures have been modeled as objects restricted within an area demarcated by poorer seismic coherence. The Matrix permeability was enhanced by vuggy permeability and fracture permeability. The paper describes the challenges in reservoir description and static modeling of this complex reservoir in detail.