Umm-Roos Prospect: New Jurassic Hydrocarbon Play in West Kuwait

Ahmad Al-Eidan*, Nikhil C. Banik**, Sunil K. Singh, Neama Al-Ajmi, Meshal Al-Wadi, and Talal Al-Adwani
KOC
*[email protected]
**[email protected]

Jurassic development activities in western Kuwait are limited to the Minagish, Abduliyah, Dharif and Umm Guddair fields. Until recently, Kra Al Maru was the only Jurassic accu-mulation outside these fields. Systematic exploration since 2000 has resulted in the Kahlu-lah and Rahayiah discoveries along the Minagish-Kra Al Maru and Minagish-Rahayiah trends. Significant leads occur as the continuation of good reservoir facies within the Marrat Reservoir in the main Minagish field. In these new discoveries the oil/water contact in the Marrat Reservoir is 1,400–1,500 ft deeper and the oil is lighter (42° API). Structural map-ping of the entire western Kuwait region incorporating both 2-D and 3-D seismic data has helped in understanding the off-structure prospectivity of the area. The predominance of EW- and NS-trending strike-slip faults, with very limited vertical throws, are well-recognized throughout the studied 3-D seismic volume. Faults extending into the 2-D seis-mic data area can thus be mapped with greater confidence. The 2-D/3-D composite struc-tural map of the Jurassic reservoirs highlighted the fact that the Minagish-Rahayiah Trend is further compartmentalized by mostly EW-trending strike-slip faults. The Umm-Roos prospect is one such compartmented faulted closure. The reservoir characteristics of the Marrat Formation were predicted based on a model of the regional depositional setting and by detailed seismic multi-attribute analyses, calibrated with well data from the Minagish and Dharif fields. The fracture potential was also evaluated using map-based curvature and geomechanical analysis. The astounding success in the Umm-Roos discovery has estab-lished new off-structure play concepts for exploring entrapment beyond conventional anti-clinal traps. The discovery has added a large area of Jurassic prospectivity to Kuwait.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90077©2008 GEO 2008 Middle East Conference and Exhibition, Manama, Bahrain