Print this pageAAPG GEO 2010 Middle East
Geoscience Conference & Exhibition
Innovative Geoscience Solutions – Meeting Hydrocarbon Demand in Changing Times
March 7-10, 2010 – Manama, Bahrain
Integrated Reservoir Characterization in from Unconventional, Low-Permeability Carbonate Reservoir, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
(1) Exploration and Undeveloped Fields, Abu Dhabi Onshore Operating Company, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
(2) Center of Excellence, Abu Dhabi Onshore Operating Company, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
As the era of ‘easy’ oil draws to a close, the energy sector is shifting focus towards previously overlooked, unconventional, ‘challenged’ reservoirs. Unconventional reservoirs will play a vital role in filling the void as existing, conventional assets move into maturity and irreversible decline. In Abu Dhabi, low permeability carbonate reservoirs contain enormous volumes of hydrocarbon resource with substantial potential to replace a large wedge of the current production steam lost to standard reservoir decline.
Reservoir characterization in these assets is a challenge as key static and dynamic information can be difficult to collect and difficult to interpret using traditional methods stand alone. The key to robust reservoir characterization relies on the integration and reconciliation of various forms of static and dynamic data. A comprehensive, mid-appraisal characterization of reservoir quality, vertical communication and lateral compartmentalization of a multi-billion barrel asset in Abu Dhabi was completed using seismic, wireline, core, pressure, fluid property and capillary pressure information. This presentation will focus on the methodology and results of this study and illustrate the gains in basic reservoir understanding, the identification of critical information gaps to be filled prior to generating a robust full-field development plan for this reservoir, and how these identified gaps are used to drive future appraisal efforts.