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Original Paper | Open Access

Evidence for active generation and seepage of sub-salt natural gas/condensate blend in the east offshore Nile Delta, Egypt: Integrated geochemical, petrophysical and seismic attribute approaches

Mahmoud Leilaa,b(), Ahmed A. Radwanc, Amir Ismaild,e, Emad A. Eysaf
Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt
School of Mining and Geosciences, Nazarbayev University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan
Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Assiut Branch, Assiut 71524, Egypt
Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Cairo 11795, Egypt
Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, Texas A&M University—Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX, 78412, USA
Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt

Edited by Teng Zhu

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Abstract

Offshore Nile Delta in Egypt represents an enormous hydrocarbon province with recent projected gas and condensate discoveries of more than 50 trillion cubic feet “TCF”. Most of these occur in the post-salt hydrocarbon plays where biogenic gases are dominant. This study integrates organic geochemistry, seismic geomorphology and petrophysics in order to decipher the origin, and accumulation conditions of the wet gas/condensate blend in the Upper Miocene sub-salt Wakar Formation sandstones in Port Fouad Marine “PFM” Field, offshore Nile Delta. Hydrocarbon pay zones are scattered thin (<10 m) sandstones deposited in as turbiditic channel/levee complex facies. Spatial distribution of vertical gas chimneys (~2 km wide) rooting-down to the Messinian Rosetta salt is associated with the lateral pinching-out of the turbiditic sandstones. Organically-rich (total organic carbon “TOC” > 1 w.t.%, hydrogen index “HI” > 200 mgHC/gTOC) and mature (Tmax > 430 °C, vitrinite reflectance “VR” > 0.6 %Ro), source rocks are restricted to Upper Miocene Wakar and Oligo-Miocene Tineh formations. The latter contains more mature organofacies (up to 1.2 %Ro) and type Ⅱ/Ⅲ kerogen, thereby demonstrating a good capability to generate wet gases. The studied gas is wet and has thermogenic origin with signs of secondary microbial alteration, whereas the condensate contains a mixture of marine and terrestrial input. Molecular biomarkers of the condensate, isotopic and molecular composition of the gas reveals a generation of condensate prior to gas expulsion from the source. The Wakar sandstones have a heterogeneous pore system where three reservoir rock types (RRTⅠ, RRTⅡ and RRTⅢ). RRTⅠ rocks present the bulk composition of the Wakar pay zones. Spatial distribution of RRTⅠ facies likely control the accumulation of the sub-salt hydrocarbons. Our results provide a new evidence on an active petroleum system in the sub-salt Paleogene successions in the offshore Nile Delta where concomitant generation of gas/condensate blend has been outlined.

Keywords

Petrophysical evaluationSource rockHydrocarbon geochemistryBiomarkersGas chimneysRock-typing

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Petroleum Science
Volume 22 Issue 1,
January 2025
Pages 130-150
DOI: 10.1016/j.petsci.2024.11.008
Cite this article:
Leila M, Radwan AA, Ismail A, et al. Evidence for active generation and seepage of sub-salt natural gas/condensate blend in the east offshore Nile Delta, Egypt: Integrated geochemical, petrophysical and seismic attribute approaches. Petroleum Science, 2025, 22(1): 130-150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petsci.2024.11.008
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