An attempt to reservoir characterization of Burgan sand, in the northwest of the Persian Gulf toward Kuwait

The Sand tongues of the Albian Kazhdumi Formation is a major prodactive reservoir in North West part of the Persian Gulf towards Kuwait . High porosity and high permeability of these sandstones together with existence of shale either as source rock or cap rock in this formation, have provided all conditions needed for hydrocarbon accumulation. A rapid sea level fall in ealry Albian initiated the deposition of Burgan clastic reservoirs over the Shuaiba Carbonates. The lower Burgan Formation was deposited in a lowstand systems tract represented by massive sandstone reservoirs. High frequency sealevel changes have resulted in deposition of shoreface sands and extensive marine shales within an overall fluvial setting. The middle part Burgan was deposited in a transgressive systems tract. The upper part witnessed a relative sealevel fall in a lowstand systems tract with deposition of sand prone facies in estuarine channels. The clastic cycle was terminated by initiation of Mauddud carbonate sedimentations in transgressive systems tract. A combined effect of allocyclic nesting of sequence stratigraphic packages and autocyclic ramp profile were the primary factors controlling the lithofacies association. This Formation has been informally subdivided into:Lower Interval (C) mainly shaly sands, middle Interval (B) clean sands “main reservoir” and upper Interval (A) interbedded shale & sands. Petrographic analysis shows that the reservoir consists of quartz-rich sands, (typically>70%) and feldspar poor (mainly <5%). Nine authigenetic minerals in the Burgan sands have been identified: quartz, calcite, siderite, pyrite, glauconite along with four groups of the clay minerals. XRD analysis of clay fraction indicates the presence of four clay mineral groups in the Burgan reservoirs : kaolin, illite , chlorite and expandible- lattice mixed –layer, illite/ smectite.