Basin modeling of the potential sourced Sargelu formation within Zagros fold belt, North Iraq

Abstract EN

The attempts for determining the potentiality of Sargelu Formation adequately performed is by the application of various organic geochemical studies.

The indications refer to this formation as being one of the most important source rocks and have its economic horizon generating the majority of oil and gas in Iraq.

Basin modeling assist to declare the scope and will already perform the complementary view by acquiring all previous and current data, and create a new version of basin modeling, depending mainly on real and perfect studies that differ from the former studies that depends mainly on estimations because no rock samples were available, but in the undertaken study, rock samples (core and cuttings) were extracted from Butmah-15, Jabal Kand-1, Qara chuq-1 and Ajeel-8 oil exploratory wells.

One dimension petroleum-system modeling of key wells were developed using Integrated Exploration System (IES).

PetroMod software to evaluate burial-thermal history, source-rock maturity, and the timing and extent of petroleum generation; interpreted well logs served as input to the models.

The oil generation potential of sulfur-rich Sargelu source rocks was simulated using closed-system, Type IIs kerogen kinetics.

Model results indicate that throughout northern Iraq generation and expulsion of oil from the Sargelu began and ended in the late Miocene.

At present, Jurassic source rocks might have generated and between 70 and 100 % of their total oil, or the model indicates that, the majority of Jurassic source rocks in Iraq have reached or exceed peak oil generation and most rocks have completed oil generation and expulsion except Jabal Kand-1, were defiantly unlike the other wells, is still generating today.