Abstract

In Western Offshore Basin, Panna Formation contains considerable amount of prognosticated resources. However, only about ~16% of these resources have been discovered so far leaving a substantial 84% yet to be found (YTF). The Panna Formation represents the oldest Tertiary sedimentary unit, deposited during Late Paleocene to Early Eocene as syn-rift and postrift sediments. This formation is significant because it hosts four of the five key petroleum system elements namely, source, reservoir, trap and seal. Hydrocarbon exploration has evolved from traditional structural methods to approaches that emphasize stratigraphic components. The exploration of stratigraphic traps is pursued with the help of new tools & techniques as it is often associated with massive reservoir heterogeneity. This research paper focuses on mapping the reservoir fairways of the Late Paleocene to Early Eocene Formation using an innovative sequence stratigraphic play-based approach. The siliciclastic-carbonate system prevailing in the study area has been subdivided into different genetic sequences capped by flooding surfaces. Each genetic sequence is showing a facies distribution of clastic part towards the basin margin whereas carbonate system develops towards the basinal side with a transition in between. The boundaries of each sequence, along with their specific reservoir qualities, have been identified, and the hydrocarbon accumulation patterns analysed. This approach helps identify exploration areas as individual plays and offers additional benefits over the conventional lithostratigraphic and structural methods, potentially converting a substantial amount of yet to find (YTF) resources into reserves for monetisation.