Reservoir heterogeneity and quality of Khuff carbonates in outcrops of central Saudi Arabia

The Khuff carbonates host several main gas reservoirs in the Middle East. These reservoirs are known for their heterogeneity, both of sub-seismic scale and beyond the interwell spacing. To get a better insight in these reservoirs, the heterogeneity of the Upper Khartam Member, placed in a high-frequency sequence stratigraphic framework, was studied with a lateral resolution between logged sections of 5 m. The sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy of four outcrop localities were studied, and approximately 600 samples were collected for petrographic, porosity and permeability analyses.