Abstract
The diagenetic influence on hydrocarbon reservoir quality was investigated for the Cambrian and Lower Carboniferous sandstones of southwestern Sinai. These quartzose and feldspathic Palaeozoic sandstones were not buried more than 1 to 1.5 km until Late Cretaceous and more recent times, when the most deeply buried rocks may have reached 25 km. Porosity was reduced by compaction from an assumed original 45% to about 26%. In general, both Cambrian and Carboniferous sandstones lost more porosity by compaction (average of 19% for each) than by cementation (average of 17% and 13%, respectively). There is no significant difference in the degree of compaction shown by Cambrian (older, deeper buried) rather than Carboniferous sandstones. Cementation by iron oxide, quartz, calcite and kaolinite reduced porosity to 12–15%, except in silcretes and some ferricretes where porosity was reduced to <5%. Significant secondary porosity was created (5.8 and 5.1 % for Cambrian and Carboniferous sandstones, respectively ) chiefly by dissolution of feldspar. Kaolinite (maximum of 20%) is the most deleterious cement because it has high microporosity, which causes high residual water saturation, and occurs as tiny crystals that have the potential to break loose during rapid fluid flow and block the pore throats. The present-day porosity in these sandstones averages 19% and ranges from 1.5 to 32%. Many sandstone samples (47% of a total of 178 samples) have permeability values higher than 1000 md. The plot of porosity versus the log of permeability has a good correlation indicating that microporosity, even though locally important, does not significantly influence reservoir quality. In spite of their age and the large volumes of groundwater that probably passed through them, these Palaeozoic sandstones retain sufficient porosity and permeability to possess excellent reservoir quality.
Published Version
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