Diagenetic controlled reservoir quality of South Pars gas field, an integrated approach

The Dalan-Kangan Permo-Triassic aged carbonates were deposited in the South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf Basin, offshore Iran. Based on the thin section studies from this field, pore spaces are classified into three groups including depositional, fabric-selective and non-fabric selective. Stable isotope studies confirm the role of diagenesis in reservoir quality development. Integration of various data show that different diagenetic processes developed in two reservoir zones in the Kangan and Dalan formations. While dolomitisation enhanced reservoir properties in the upper K2 and lower K4 units, lower part of K2 and upper part of K4 have experienced more dissolution. Integration of RQI, porosity-permeability values and pore-throat sizes resulted from mercury intrusion tests shows detailed petrophysical behavior in reservoir zones. Though both upper K2 and lower K4 are dolomitised, in upper K2 unit non-fabric selective pores are dominant and fabric destructive dolomitisation is the main cause of high reservoir quality. In comparison, lower K4 has more fabric-selective pores that have been connected by fabric retentive to selective dolomitisation.