The Minagish Field tar mat, Kuwait; its formation, distribution and impact on water flood

In common with many giant oilfields world wide, the Minagish field (Minagish Oolite Formation) in Kuwait has an areally extensive heavy oil zone of variable thickness at the base of the oil column. The heavy oil zone, or tar mat, is thought to act as a partial permeability barrier between the aquifer and oil leg, but its field-wide effect and properties were unknown. A full-field water flood is planned for the Minagish field. Therefore, an understanding of the distribution and properties of the heavy oil zone is critical in deciding whether to inject water above the tar mat (with unavoidable reserve losses) or directly into the aquifer in areas where the tar mat is poorly developed. The difficulty in discriminating between cemented and bituminous intervals on electric logs has led to the adoption of geochemical techniques to detect the presence and thickness of heavy oil zones. By using detailed Iatroscan analysis, the tar mat is characterized by a high proportion of asphaltenes, but low concentration of saturates, polars and aromatics. Results of geochemical analyses demonstrate that the Minagish tar mat is the result of de-asphalting rather than gravity segregation. Compositional variations through the oil column have been mapped using geochemical parameters measured on core samples. A predictive model for API gravity and live oil viscosities has been established for the field. This new understanding of the Minagish tar mat, its genesis and spatial distribution has helped in developing a water injection strategy that maximizes recovery in the Minagish field.