ISSN: 2578-4846
Authors: Kassem AA*
The exploration and exploitation of the downthrown side of the productive upthrown Pre-rifting reservoirs at the Gulf of Suez marked bring a renaissance to the rift basin Exploration. This work documents the reservoir performance, trap geometry, and structural style of the downthrown deep marine stratigraphic entrapment. In addition, it outlines the requirements necessary beyond the production mitigations and limits. To gain better understanding of Asl Formation (deep marine) reservoir characteristics early in the exploration program, Asl Formation was cored in the north October J-5 well. A continuous 366- foot (112m) core was recovered including the main reservoir interval, which is producing over 12,000 barrel of oil per day. The J-5 Asl Formation has been interpreted as a synthetic, mixed clastic-carbonate turbidity deposit. Three major lithofacies described are recognizable on electric log. These are sandstone, shale and carbonates. The sandstones dominate the lower portion of the core and are the main oil producing section. Sandstone porosity and permeability range from 17 to 27% and 30 millidarcies to 3 darcies, respectively. Compared to the sandstone, the carbonate turbidites have poorer reservoir quality. They dominate the upper portion of the core and are composed of coarse fossil debris, silica framework grains and rock fragments. Horizontal and vertical permeabilities with rock types. Both the sandstone and carbonate sections of the J-5 core have experienced a complex diagenetic history. Deposition of the cored interval was initiated by a convulsive geological event such as flashflood or earthquake. These events would likely generate sufficient energy for mobilization of onshore and/or near shore sediments into multiple gravity flows having regional extent. The reservoir quality is controlled by a combination of primary depositional fabric and subsequent diagenetic modification. This research work can guide future exploration of reservoir-prone deep marine deposits in the Red Sea Rift and provide a reference for the subsurface deep-water reservoir quality analysis in the propagation stage in the Rift Basins.
Keywords: Rift basins; Facies analysis; Diagenesis; Reservoir quality; Deep marine; Clastic reservoirs; Gulf of Suez