Appraisal and development of the Taq Taq Field, Kurdistan region, Iraq
Appraisal and development of the Taq Taq Field, Kurdistan region, Iraq (in Petroleum geology; from mature basins to new frontiers; proceedings of the 7th petroleum geology conference, B. A. Vining (editor) and S. C. Pickering (editor))
Petroleum Geology Conference Series (2010) 7: 801-810
- anticlines
- Asia
- carbonate rocks
- Cretaceous
- dolostone
- folds
- geophysical methods
- Iraq
- Kirkuk Iraq
- limestone
- Mesozoic
- Middle East
- natural gas
- petroleum
- petroleum exploration
- sedimentary rocks
- seismic methods
- Shiranish Formation
- structural traps
- traps
- Upper Cretaceous
- Zagros
- northeastern Iraq
- Fars Formation
- Kometan Formation
- Qamchuqa Formation
- Taq Taq Field
The Taq Taq Field is located within an anticline in the gently folded zone of the Zagros mountains, northeastern Iraq, approximately 50 km ESE of Erbil. The main reservoirs are fractured limestones and dolomites of Late Cretaceous age, with an oil column exceeding 500 m in thickness. Eocene limestones and dolomites at shallow depth form a subsidiary reservoir. The structure is a gentle thrust-related fold which has also been affected by dextral transpression. A pervasive fracture system is present within the reservoirs, giving good connectivity and deliverability Initial discovery and appraisal was made in 1978 when three wells were drilled. The recent appraisal programme started in 2005 and by the end of 2008 two seismic surveys had been acquired and eight additional wells had been drilled. Mapping has incorporated a seismic principal component analysis for horizon and lithology identification. Modelling of the fractures has utilized a comprehensive data set derived from core and image logs. Special core analysis has been directed towards the understanding of the pore system and its interaction with the fractures. Synthesis of all these elements is performed in a dual-media dynamic model which is currently in use for development planning.
