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New challenge for the rock physics and post-stack impedance inversion for detecting the erosional surface of Matruh Canyon at Emry Oil Field, Western Desert, Egypt

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Abstract

Emry oil field is one of the biggest oil fields in the North Western Desert of Egypt. (Barremian-Hauterivian) Alam El Bueib IIIG is the main targeted sand reservoir interval. A total of 5000 BOPD were produced by the exploratory well Emry Deep 0IX. Despite that, the limit of the field is still not accurately defined, because Matruh Canyon affected the extension of Alam El Bueib IIIG. Therefore, the main uncertainty is to scheme the unconformity surface between the sand of Alam El Bueib IIIG and the infill shale of Matruh Canyon. The seismic data and the well logs data were utilized to distinguish the reservoir extension for Alam El Bueib IIIG. The work was achieved by performing the rock physics study and the post-stack seismic inversion. Rock physics plays an essential role in the feasibility study to discriminate the sand of Alam El Bueib IIIG from the non-reservoir facies (Matruh Shale). Acoustic impedance model has been computed to define the geometry of Matruh Canyon. The results from the current study, the acoustic inverted model helped to differentiate between the reservoir and the non-reservoir, which cannot be detected from the normal seismic. Two-way time map for Base Matruh Canyon was generated with a possible three leads were emphasized. The conclusion reveals that the application of the cross-plots of the rock physics can discriminate between the sand of Alam El Bueib IIIG and Matruh Canyon. The post-stack impedance inversion demonstrated to be a powerful method for detecting the boundary between the sand of Alam El Bueib IIIG and the shale of Matruh Canyon. The present research will be the first of its type for separating Matruh Canyon from the remnant part of Alam El Bueib Formation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Al Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt

    Ahmed A. Essa & Tharwat Helmy Abd El-Hafez

  2. Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute, Cairo, Egypt

    Salah Shebl

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  1. Ahmed A. Essa
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  2. Tharwat Helmy Abd El-Hafez
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  3. Salah Shebl
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Correspondence to Ahmed A. Essa.

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Essa, A.A., Abd El-Hafez, T.H. & Shebl, S. New challenge for the rock physics and post-stack impedance inversion for detecting the erosional surface of Matruh Canyon at Emry Oil Field, Western Desert, Egypt. Arab J Geosci 15, 1544 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-022-10753-8

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