Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol.

6, 06822, 2004
SRef-ID: 1607-7962/gra/EGU04-A-06822
c European Geosciences Union 2004

POROSITY AND PERMEABILITY MODELING

USING SEISMIC ATTRIBUTES IN ARAB-D
RESERVOIR, SAUDI ARABIA
A. Al-Ghamdi (1), S. Ibrahim (1), M. Makkawi (1)
(1)Earth Sciences Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals,
(alghamdi@kfupm.edu.sa /Fax: +966-3-860-2595)

The Arab-D carbonate in the Ghawar Field of Saudi Arabia represents one of the
most prolific oil-producing intervals in the world. Spatial distribution of porosity and
permeability and more specifically their extreme values are critical factors to the per-
formance of the reservoir. Due to the limited well data, an excellent accuracy was
achieved by applying multi-seismic attribute transforms and neural network. A quan-
titative porosity and permeability models in Uthmaniyah Area was developed based on
selected seismic attributes. Seismic attributes (amplitude weighted phase, integrated
seismic trace and instantaneous phase) demonstrated the best correlation with perme-
ability and they were consequently used in the Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN)
modeling of Permeability.
The reservoir showed good porosities and moderate to low permeability values. The
low permeability values are dominant in the lowest part of the reservoir interval, which
includes Arab-D zones 3A, 3B and 4. Most of the high values encountered in the Arab-
D zones 2B and 2A are obviously concordant with areas showing as high porosity as
18 percent. This suggests that these permeability values are the result of the intercon-
nected vugular and moldic pores associated with the dolomitic facies known to be
prevailing in these zones.