Abu Roash F reservoir hydrocarbon potential, Western Desert, Egypt

Mohamed Said RADWAN; Mohamed GOBASHY; Said DAHROUG; Samir RASLAN

doi:10.31577/congeo.2024.54.2.2

Mohamed Said RADWAN Exploration department, Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5527-6511
Mohamed GOBASHY Cairo University, Giza, Egypt https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5417-926X
Said DAHROUG Cairo University, Giza, Egypt https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0055-9380
Samir RASLAN Exploration department, Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt

DOI: https://doi.org/10.31577/congeo.2024.54.2.2

Keywords: Western Desert, Upper Cretaceous, Abu Roash F, unconventional reservoirs

Abstract

The Western Desert of Egypt is recognized for its significant potential in oil and gas reserves, making it a prominent hydrocarbon-producing area with conventional reservoirs. Recent findings from various wells suggest that unconventional reservoirs in the Western Desert may hold considerable promise. The primary objective of this study was to explore this potential. Accordingly, a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach has been employed to assess the Abu Roash/F (AR/F) reservoir. The methodology involved meticulously examining formation characteristics and integrating borehole images with existing core data and thin sections. This integration aimed to analyse and interpret the lithofacies of the reservoir, with a specific focus on identifying fractures and decoding potential diagenesis effects. As a result, we successfully identified wells exhibiting optimal reservoir quality, unveiling the presence of fractured dolomite or vuggy dolomite in wells containing promising oil and gas pay intervals. Notably, some wells displayed low porosity (3%), yet seismic attribute maps in their vicinity indicated a high density of fractures. This underscores the importance of combining borehole images with seismic attributes to evaluate carbonate formations effectively. The fractures, predominantly oriented NW–SE, were found to be associated with deformation zones. Our findings emphasize the critical role of this integrated approach in unlocking the full potential of hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Western Desert.