Reservoir characterization and facies modeling of the gas-bearing Kafr El Sheikh and Abu Madi reservoirs in the Disouq Field, Nile delta, Egypt: An integrated petrophysical, pressure, and seismic study

Abstract

Kafr El Sheikh (KES) and Abu Madi formations are among the potential gas-producing reservoirs in the Nile Delta, promoting numerous efforts to characterize them. Based on a full set of conventional well log data from four wells in the Disouq Field in the northwestern Desert, the petrophysical properties and hydrocarbon potentiality of these two formations were figured out. When litho-saturation, neutron-density, and M-N plots are integrated together, they show that the two studied reservoirs are mostly made up of shale with some sand lenses and lobes that could be potential reservoirs. We further subdivide the KES Formation into KES IIIA, KES IIIB, KES IIIC, and KES IIID based on the petrophysical data. The petrophysical parameters of both the Abu Madi Formation (7.77 m < net-pay <13.72 m, 20.8% < ∅e < 25.8%, 34.4% < Sw < 51.8%, and 20.3% < Vsh <22.6%) and the KES Formation (1.98 m < net-pay <10.0 m, 23.1% < ∅e < 25.3%, 29.5% < Sw < 42.4%, and 29.0% < Vsh <32.0%) indicate a high potentiality for these two reservoirs. The seismic data revealed the existence of an E-W trending 4-way dip closure and a major N-S normal fault that intersects the field, forming an anticline in its upper block. The pressure data from the repeat formation tester (RFT) helped figure out the free water level (FWL) between the gas and water aquifer at depths of 7296 ft and 7850 ft for the DSQ 1–3 and DSQ 1–5 wells. In the DSQ-2X well, the water is found at a shallower depth interval (upper compartment at 1943–2170 m depth interval) than in two deeper gas-bearing reservoirs (middle and lower compartments at 2170–2230 m and 2230–2270 m depth intervals), which means that there are three separate compartments.

The integration between the well log and seismic data enabled more detailed delineation for the complex structural setting of the field and detailed characterization for its reservoir and petrophysical properties. This study is applicable to the similar 4-way dip closure, which is dominant in the Nile Delta and other similar prograding river-dominated deltas. Analogous sequences in deltaic and nearshore areas in Africa and worldwide can utilize the applied workflow.