Acoustic Characteristics of Nubia Sandstone at Gebel Abu Hasswa, Gulf of Suez, Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute "EPRI" 1 Ahmed El-Zomor Street,El-Zohour Region, Nasr City,Cairo, Egypt

2 faculty of science, ain shams university

3 Geology department, Faculty of Science, Ain shams University

4 ain shams university, faculty of science

5 Geophysics Department, Faculty of Sciences, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

6 Petroleum Research institute

7 Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute-Cairo-Egypt

Abstract

On the eastern side of the Gulf of Suez, at Gebel Abu Hasswa, fifty one (51) samples were obtained from different lithofacies of Nubia sandstone units. Acoustic velocity, porosity and permeability have been integrated and confirmed with petrographical investigation. In addition to porosity and permeability analysis, the acoustic wave velocities of dry and wet clastic rock samples are measured to evaluate the influence of diagenesis on reservoir characteristics, which affects the acoustic characteristics of the studied sandstone rocks. Petrographical study determined that all the study samples are mainly quartz arenite facies. The diageneses processes, such as compaction, recrystallization, and cementation, increased compressional and shear wave velocities while decreasing reservoir quality.
The X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that the main mineral that formed samples is quartz mineral, while the minor minerals are calcite, hematite, and kaolinite. From thin sections and XRD results concluded that the samples had been suffered from dissolution process that caused the oversized porosity, in addition to, cementation process with multiple types of cements like silica overgrowth, ferruginous, and calcareous. Depending on the acoustic wave velocities of dry rock samples, the estimated empirical equations can be utilized to predict both the wave velocities (Compressional - Shear wave velocities) of wet rock samples.

Keywords