--> ABSTRACT: Unconventional Shale Resources Exploration in Kuwait — Opportunities, Challenges and Way Forward, by Hussain, Fida; Husain, Riyasat ; Al-Khamiss, Awatif; Rabie, Ahmed; Al-Kandary, Ahmad; #90142 (2012)

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Unconventional Shale Resources Exploration in Kuwait — Opportunities, Challenges and Way Forward

Hussain, Fida *1; Husain, Riyasat 1; Al-Khamiss, Awatif 1; Rabie, Ahmed 1; Al-Kandary, Ahmad 1
(1) Exploration, Kuwait Oil Company, Kuwait, Kuwait.

The state of Kuwait is endowed with both conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon resources occurring over a wide range of stratigraphic spectrum spanning from Paleozoic to Cenozoic. Unconventional resources of Kuwait mainly include heavy oil, tight gas, shale gas, shale oil, etc. The exploration for heavy oil and tight gas in the country has kept pace with the global efforts; while the shale gas and shale oil are yet to find a place in the country’s energy basket. The study, initiated to fill the knowledge gap, has brought out the shale resource potential of Kuwait and identified thrust areas for future exploration.

Sixteen possible shale Resource plays ranging in age from Silurian, Qusaiba Shale to Albian, Burgan Shale exist in Kuwait. Prospectivity analysis based on total organic carbon, net thickness, maturity, depositional environments & facies, mineralogy and pore pressure data has led to prioritization of three plays for shale resource exploration. These plays are the Makhul Formation of Berriasian Age, Najmah Formation of Oxfordian to Kimmeridgian age and Jilh Formation of Anisian to Ladinian age. Basin modeling studies indicate substantial in place resource potential to exist in these potential plays. Western part of onshore and eastern part of offshore Kuwait are identified as potential thrust areas for exploration of shale gas and oil resources.

Key exploration challenges include paucity of data for these unconventional reservoirs, seismic imaging capability, deeper reservoir depths, drilling of customized horizontal multilateral wells, hydro frack stimulation of calcareous shales, testing, well completions and economic viability.

Establishing the shale gas potentiality by collecting adsorbed gas data, Langmuir isotherm, MDT and PLT data, evolving area- and play-specific workflows, acquisition of high resolution seismic data, fracture modeling for identification of naturally fractured fairways, in-situ stress mapping to determine critically-stressed fractured areas are vital for mapping of sweet spots, establishment of the threshold reservoir quality and delineation of the productive pay intervals. Additionally use of state of the art technology in drilling of horizontal multilateral wells, testing and well completions are required for commercial exploitation. In brief, technology intensive multi-disciplinary work flows are crucial for commercial production of these unconventional reservoirs.

 

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90142 © 2012 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, April 22-25, 2012, Long Beach, California