Geological Risk Analysis for Horizontal Wells based on Drilling Campaign in the Cretaceous Burgan Formation, Kuwait

The Cretaceous Burgan Formation of the Greater Burgan Field, Kuwait (Fig. 1) is the largest clastic reservoir in the world. To increase production from these clastic reservoirs, a number of horizontal wells have been drilled during the last four years. The targeted reservoir sands show a lot of heterogeneity. Predicting sand continuity in such a scenario is a challenge. Moreover, velocity anomalies in the shallow sections and structural complexity in some areas brings in a great deal of uncertainty in the depth prediction. Due to these reasons, landing the well in the desired reservoir section and drilling the drain hole with maximum pay zone exposure becomes very difficult. To mitigate these risks, a methodology has been developed to analyze the geological risks involved before drilling a horizontal well.