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Reservoir quality discrimination of the Albian-Cenomanian reservoir sequences in the Ivorian basin: a lithological and petrophysical study

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Abstract

The Albian-Cenomanian reservoirs of the Ivorian sedimentary basin consist mainly of conglomeratic, pebbly, and very fine to coarse-grained sandstones. In the present study, the lithologic composition, flow and storage capacities, and reservoir quality parameters were studied in detail. Some fresh, clean and non-fractured samples were selected representative from FE-1 well in the depocenter of the basin, FE-2 well to the west, and FE-3 well to the east of the basin. Lithologic studies indicated that heterogeneity increases greatly to the east due to the implementation of diagenetic factors including cementation, silicification, authigenic clay minerals, and compaction. Though of the dominant reservoir quality-reducing factors, to the east, the reservoir quality increases due to increasing the grain size and the interstitial pore types. Porosity and permeability of samples were estimated by helium and nitrogen injection, respectively, whereas the reservoir quality was measured using different techniques, e.g., the FZI (flow zone indicator), the RQI (reservoir quality index), the effective pore radius (R35) of Winland, and the DRT (discrete rock type). The reservoir quality properties declared that the present plug samples can be clustered into six RRTs (reservoir rock types), with increasing reservoir quality from RRT6 (conglomeratic sandstone lithofacies) to RRT1 (deformed sandstone lithofacies).

Article highlights

  • The Albian-Cenomanian Ivorian reservoirs consist of conglomeratic to very fine-grained sandstones.

  • Reservoir quality increases to the east by increasing the grain size and the pore sizes.

  • Six reservoir rock types (RRTs); RRT1 samples are characterized by the lowest reservoir quality.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Professor Ranjith, Editor-in-Chief of Geomechanics and Geophysics for Geo-Energy and Geo-Resources, and the anonymous reviewers for their comments that reconstructed and improved the quality of the present manuscript. Also, the authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Ibrahima Diaby, general manager of the National Company of Petroleum Operations of Ivory Coast (PETROCI), for releasing the present data. We would like also to extend our thanks to Mr. Bakary Fofana, Director of PETROCI Analysis and Research Center for introducing all the required technical facilities. We are also grateful to Mr. Losseni Soumahoro for imaging the present samples using the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Mr. Oumar Cheick Keita for preparing the thin sections for the petrographical studies. This paper is a contribution of the International Geoscience Program (IGCP) Project no. 679 that entitled “Cretaceous Earth Dynamics and Climate in Asia”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Petroci, Center of Analysis and Research, Abidjan, République de Côte d’Ivoire

    Isaac Fea

  2. Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir, Morocco

    Mohamed Abioui & Mohammed Benssaou

  3. Department of Geophysical Sciences, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt

    Bassem S. Nabawy

  4. Department of Geology, School of Applied Natural Science, Adama Science and Technology University, Adama, Ethiopia

    Sreepat Jain

  5. Department of Marine Geosciences, Felix Houphouët Boigny University, Abidjan, République de Côte d’Ivoire

    Digbehi Z. Bruno

  6. Exploration Department, Gulf of Suez Petroleum Company, New Maadi, Cairo, Egypt

    Ahmed A. Kassem

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  1. Isaac Fea
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Fea, I., Abioui, M., Nabawy, B.S. et al. Reservoir quality discrimination of the Albian-Cenomanian reservoir sequences in the Ivorian basin: a lithological and petrophysical study. Geomech. Geophys. Geo-energ. Geo-resour. 8, 1 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40948-021-00297-8

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