Integrated Seismic and Well Characterization of a Wara Formation Channel Complex, Greater Burgan Field, Kuwait

By

Thekriat J. Hussain¹, Joon Kim², Richard R. Terres², David Jackson²

(1) Kuwait Oil Company, Ahmadi, Kuwait (2) ChevronTexaco, Ahmadi, Kuwait

 A detailed reservoir model of a Wara Formation channelized depositional system has been successfully constructed using seismic inversion, seismic attributes, principal component analysis and geostatistical modeling.

The Upper Cretaceous Wara Formation is a significant oil resource in the Burgan Field of Kuwait. Even after a long production history (since the Ô50s), the Wara Formation has large opportunities both for primary and enhanced recovery. The Wara Formation is a complex fluviodeltaic system in which the sand is organized into both stacked and isolated channels. The key to optimal development of the Wara is to understand the lateral extent and interconnectivity of these sand sequences. Unfortunately, previous attempts to characterize these sands used only well data and found the task quite difficult.

We have successfully characterized a large channel system in the southwest part of the Burgan field through an integration of well and seismic data. A variety of seismic tools including attributes, inversion, classification and principal component analysis were integrated with well-based data in the characterization. A further refinement of the characterization was done by constructing a new reservoir model using the 3-D post-stack seismic inversion to guide a stochastic well-based interpolation.

A validation of the channel characterization and reservoir model can be observed through a comparison to Wara production. Wells within the channel system exhibit significantly higher fluid production rates. Through the more detailed understanding of Wara reservoir extent and producibility, KOC has been able to provide for better reservoir simulations and better plan infill wells and future development.