Abstract: Cretaceous Carbonates of Fateh Field, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

By

Tom C. Connally

Fateh field, a giant oil field, has 12 platforms, 43 producing wells, and estimated reserves of 1.02 billion barrels of oil. Production is from three formations, with 71 percent coming from porous Cretaceous limestones of the Mishrif formation. Since production began in 1969, 530 million barrels of oil have been produced, averaging 120 thousand barrels per day. Reservoir facies in the Mishrif are fine-grained, molluscan-fragment grainstones and packstones deposited mainly in forereef environments. Porosities average 20 to 25 percent, and permeabilities average 15 to 50 md. These facies are part of a large rudist reef complex that rimmed the Khatiyah Embayment west of Fateh Field.

Backreef, reef/near-reef, forereef, and basinal facies are recognized in the Mishrif-Khatiyah sequence at Fateh. Regional distribution of these facies indicates that the Khatiyah formation represents a transgressive basinal facies that later retreated due to the progradational out-building of rudist reef facies of the Mishrif. Along strike, the outer-shelf reef facies are discontinuous and are replaced by near-reef grainstone facies of coarse reef debris.

The overlying Laffan shale provides an adequate seal for the Mishrif reservoir. It forms a blanket deposit throughout the Fateh area and averages about 90 feet thick. Source beds are found in the underlying Khatiyah formation, which is the basinal equivalent of the Mishrif. The structural/stratigraphic trap at Fateh is formed by a breached dome over a salt structure.

End_of_Record - Last_Page 4---------------

Copyright © 2005 by Houston Geological Society. All rights reserved.