Integrated geologic, geophysical, and petrophysical data to construct full field geologic model of Cambrian-Ordovician and Upper Cretaceous reservoir formations, Central Western Sirte Basin, Libya

Abstract

The Cambrian-Ordovician and Upper Cretaceous formations, which are the main oil-producing formations in the central Sirte Basin, are structurally complex. The lateral and vertical heterogeneity of the reservoir formations is not well-understood, which negatively affects the performance of the reservoirs. We constructed efficient full-field static models that incorporate the lateral and vertical variation of those reservoir formations by integrating geologic and geophysical data. We determined lithology and reservoir properties by selecting appropriate petrophysical techniques that suit the available well data and overcome issues with unreliable well-log measurements. In the process of building structural models, defining and mapping the base of the Cambrian-Ordovician Gargaf Formation was very challenging because wells did not penetrate the basal formation, and the quality of the seismic data decreases with depth. Therefore, we applied techniques of adding isochore maps of the overlying Upper Cretaceous of the Bahi and Waha Formations to map basal contact and determine the thickness of the Gargaf Formation for the first time in the area. The constructed isochore maps showed the thickness variation and the distributions of the Bahi and Waha Formations and explained the influence of Gargaf paleotopography and faults on them. The fault models combined with facies and property models suggested an interconnection among the three main reservoirs. They also indicated that the quality of the Waha reservoir enhances as the lithology varies from limestones to calcareous sandstones, whereas the quality of the Gargaf reservoir was primarily controlled by fractures. The total estimate of the original oil in place with the largest contribution of hydrocarbon volume from the Waha Formation was [Formula: see text] stock tank barrel. The created model with a fine-scale geocellular covering an area of [Formula: see text] is unique to the study area and it can be updated and refined at any time with new data production and drilling activities.

Analysis of gravity and aeromagnetic data to determine structural trend and basement depth beneath the Ajdabiya Trough in northeastern Libya

“…1). Integrating geological and geophysical data to determine nine facies of reservoir units southeast of the Ajdabiya Trough, Abdelnabi et al [7] observed that faults mostly control the distribution and thickness of one of the reservoir units. A 3D (three-dimensional) seismic survey [8] showed a channel-like feature (of submarine origin) within the southern part of the trough (called the Intisar E field).…”

“…That the accumulation of hydrocarbon can be controlled structurally (e.g. Abdelnabi et al [7]) is an important justification to examine the structural trends by analysing the available geophysical datasets. Hence, this study attempts to (1) obtain the structural trend and fault systems within the Ajdabiya Trough; (2) determine the depth to the magnetic basement beneath the trough.…”