3D Static Model for Pore Pressure Prediction Using Seismic Velocity to Evaluate the Hydrocarbon Potential of Oligocene Traps, Baltim Gas Field, Nile Delta Basin, Egypt

The Nile Delta, located in northern Egypt, is a significant gas province known for its vast hydrocarbon reserves due to its sedimentary succession, which indicates significant gas potential. Baltim Field is located in the offshore Central Nile Delta, approximately 10 kilometers off the Egyptian coast. As most of the main producing reservoirs of Messinian deposits became brown fields, so the discovery of the deeper reservoirs of Oligocene (Tineh Formation) become an urgent need. Accurate pore pressure estimation is crucial for both exploration and drilling these deeper reservoirs. One of the most trap failure mechanisms of such deeper reservoirs is the abnormal high pore pressure of these reservoirs as it inhibit the hydrocarbon accumulation causing the escaping of the hydrocarbons to low pressure regime reservoirs, also trap integrity can be compromised in high reservoir pressures especially in the Oligocene section, furthermore the geopressure prediction is crucial in planning of the wells targeting these deeper reservoirs. This study is aimed to investigate the relationship between seismic velocity and pore pressure in the Baltim gas field. By utilizing seismic velocity data, we aim to develop predictive models for accurately estimating pore pressure in this geological setting. Velocity curves have been extracted from seismic data and pore pressure calculations were done in both one and three dimensions. This type of modeling assessed in the hydrocarbon trapping evaluation of the Oligocene reservoirs besides planning and ranking for the best locations for drilling the exploratory prospects.