Reservoir quality assessment of the Fahliyan Formation in one oil field, Northwestern Persian Gulf

The Lower Cretaceous Fahliyan Formation is one of the main oil reservoirs in the Persian Gulf. In this study, for investigating facies characteristics, depositional environment, diagenetic features, sequence stratigraphy and describing factors controlling reservoir quality, the integration of the results from core description, petrographic studies, and petrophysical data was utilized. Nine main facies were recognized and grouped in four facies belts of lagoon, shoal, patch reef and shallow open marine, indicating deposition of the formation in a carbonate ramp platform. Various diagenetic processes that influenced facies, occurred in marine, meteoric, and burial diagenetic realms. Four main pore types have been identified in the reservoir that include interparticle, moldic, vuggy, and microporosity. From the sequence stratigraphy point of view, three third-order sequences which are correlatable within the Fahliyan Formation were identified. The development of grainstone and algal rudstone/floatstone in shoal/ patch reef sub-environment played an important role in developing the high reservoir. In view of their controls on reservoir quality and pore system, diagenetic features can be categorized into two classes: (1) diagenetic processes enhancing reservoir quality that include dissolution and fracturing, and (2) diagenetic processes reducing reservoir quality that include cementation and compaction.