Iraq Kurdistan Pulkhana find gets two new zones

ShaMaran Petroleum Corp., Vancouver, BC, said it identified two oil-bearing zones in its Pulkhana-9 appraisal well in Iraqi Kurdistan in addition to the two already encountered.
Oct. 3, 2011
2 min read

ShaMaran Petroleum Corp., Vancouver, BC, said it identified two oil-bearing zones in its Pulkhana-9 appraisal well in Iraqi Kurdistan in addition to the two already encountered.

ShaMaran drilled to a total depth of 2,333 m and ran six well tests, recovering oil in four reservoirs. The zones confirmed by previous drilling, the Miocene Euphrates and Cretaceous Shiranish formations, and two new horizons, the Eocene Jaddala formation and an undifferentiated fractured Cretaceous formation below the Shiranish recovered oil on test.

The total prospective pay based on petrophysical analysis of electric logs was more than 800 m in four separate reservoirs. Oil is 28-34° gravity. Due to failure of an external casing packer in the lower zones and possible formation damage due to heavy mud weights, representative flow rates could not be established.

The company will sidetrack the well to establish oil flow rates in the lower two zones using open hole testing that gives the greatest chance of success in fractured carbonate reservoirs. It also will drill another Pulkhana appraisal well and is planning an early production system for the field.

ShaMaran is also reentering the Pulkhana-8 well, drilled in 2006, to confirm the Shiranish reservoir in this portion of the field.

ShaMaran is operator of the Pulkhana block with 60% interest. Petoil and the Kurdistan Regional Government hold 20% each.

About the Author

Alan Petzet

Chief Editor Exploration

Alan Petzet is Chief Editor-Exploration of Oil & Gas Journal in Houston. He is editor of the Weekly E&D Newsletter, emailed to OGJ subscribers, and a regular contributor to the OGJ Online subscriber website.

Petzet joined OGJ in 1981 after 13 years in the Tulsa World business-oil department. He was named OGJ Exploration Editor in 1990. A native of Tulsa, he has a BA in journalism from the University of Tulsa.

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