Characterization of channelized systems in a carbonate platform setting: A case study on the Late Cretaceous reservoir from the supergiant oilfield, Iraq

Identification of tidal channels fairways is key for predicting behavior of areas at higher risk to water breakthrough or otherwise have a significant impact on the development and monitoring of reservoir performance. However, tidal channels in carbonates are not often easily characterized using conventional seismic attributes. It is important to decipher the complexity of the carbonate tidal channel architecture with integrated multisource data and a variety of approaches. In this paper, petrological characteristics and petrographic analysis is conducted on well logs and validated carefully using core data. Then, the second step is to compare the carbonate channel systems with modern analogue in Bahama tidal flat and outcrop scales in Wadi Mi'Aidin (Northern Oman). Thereafter, the supervised probabilistic neural network (PNN) and linear regression method were undertaken to detect an additional channel distribution. The relationship of high porosity with low acoustic impedance appeared mostly in the channel facies which reflects good reservoir quality grainstone channels. Outside these channels, the rock is heavily mud filled by peritidal carbonates and characterized by a high acoustic impedance anomaly with low quality of porosity distribution. The new observation of PNN porosity volume revealed a lateral distribution of the Mishrif carbonate tidal channels in terms of paleocurrent direction and the connectivity. Additionally, the prior information from core data and the geological knowledge indicate a good consistency with classified lithology. These observations implied that Mishrif channels consist of a wide range of lithology and porotype fluctuations due to the impact of depositional environment. The work enables us to provide a new insight into the distribution of channel bodies, and petrophysical properties with quantification of their influence on dynamic reservoir behavior of the main producing reservoir. This work will not only provide an important guidance to the development and production of this case study, however also deliver an integrated work path for the similar geological and sedimentary environment in the nearby oil fields of Southern Iraq.