GEOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF A BIODEGRADED CRUDE OIL, ASSRAN FIELD, CENTRAL GULF OF SUEZ

A crude oil sample from the Assran field in the Central Gulf of Suez (Egypt) was analysed geochemically and characterized in terms of a variety of source and maturity dependent biomarkers. Biodegradation was indicated by increasing concentration ratios of Pr/n-C₁₇ and Ph/n-C₁₈. However, biodegradation was only slight as GC-MS analyses of the saturate and aromatic fractions showed that hopanes, steranes, aromatic steroids and polycyclic aromatic compounds including sulphur heterocycles remained intact. The sterane and hopane distributions showed a predominance of C₂₇ steranes, a low diasterane index, an abundance of gammacerane, a high homohopane index and an oleanane index < 0.2. The results indicate that the Assran-10 crude oil was derived from a marine carbonate source deposited in a highly reducing saline environment with a high bacterial contribution, consistent with the Upper Cretaceous Brown Limestone or Lower Eocene Thebes Formation containing Type IIS kerogen. Maturity parameters based on changes in the stereochemistry at chirality centres in hopane and sterane nuclei, such as C₃₀βα/(βα+αβ) and C₃₁ 22S/(22S+22R) hopanes and C₂₉ββ/(ββ+αα) and C₂₉ 20S/(20S+20R) steranes, together with triaromatic sterane cracking ratios, indicate that the oil sample was marginally mature. The results also suggest that biodegradation is probably due to sulphate-reducing anaerobic bacteria.     

CRUDE OIL GEOCHEMISTRY AND SOURCE ROCK POTENTIAL OF THE UPPER CRETACEOUS – EOCENE SUCCESSION IN THE BELAYIM OILFIELDS,CENTRAL GULF OF SUEZ,EGYPT

This study evaluates the petroleum potential of source rocks in the pre‐rift Upper Cretaceous – Eocene succession at the Belayim oilfields in the central Gulf of Suez Basin. Organic geochemical and palynofacies investigations were carried out on 65 cuttings samples collected from the Thebes, Brown Limestone and Matulla Formations. Analytical methods included Rock‐Eval pyrolysis, Liquid Chromatography, Gas Chromatography and Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry. Four crude oil samples from producing wells were characterised using C₇ light hydrocarbons, stable carbon isotopes and biomarker characteristics. The results showed that the studied source rocks are composed of marine carbonates with organic matter dominated by algae and bacteria with minimal terrigenous input, deposited under reducing conditions. This conclusion was supported by n‐alkane distributions, pristane/ phytane ratios, homohopane and gammacerane indices, high concentrations of cholestane, the presence of C₃₀ n‐propylcholestanes, and low diasterane ratios. The source rocks ranged from immature to marginally mature based on the Rock‐Eval T_max together with biomarker maturity parameters. The analysed crude oil samples are interpreted to have been derived from source rock intervals within the Eocene Thebes Formation and the Upper Cretaceous Brown Limestone. The similarity in the geochemical characteristics of the crude oils suggests that there was little variation in the organofacies of the source rocks from which they were derived.     

Moving Water to Move People The Toshka Project in Egypt A Water Forum Contribution

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to provide an initial assessment of Egypt's plan to resettle population from the Nile Valley to the Western Desert. Known popularly as the Toshka Project, it is formally titled the National Project for the Development of Upper Egypt (NPDUE). The resettlement scheme is entirely dependent on the provision of a reliable source of freshwater. This water will be taken from Lake Nassar, behind the Aswan High Dam, and pumped through a series of canals into the desert, thereby allowing for irrigated agriculture. Through an extensive review of government documents and interviews with both government officials and Egyptian residents (who might be asked to move to the desert), we were able to develop a basic understanding of the project and a preliminary assessment of its potential for success. This was accomplished despite the paucity of published information about the project. To assess the possible success of the project, we looked at six key factors: economic, donor investment, demographics, water availability, technical, and environmental. In the end, it appears that the success of the Toshka project is highly dependent on a continued source of private capital. This capital is expected to come from other Arab countries, and, to date, the major investor in Toshka is Saudi Prince Al Walid. The Egyptian government claims that public investment in the project will be no more than 20 to 25 percent of the total, and adhering to this claim will be important; higher levels of public investment are likely to increase inflationary pressures in the country. The paper concludes with an assessment of whether the potential impacts of the project—whether economic, demographic, or environmental—are likely to offset the projected benefits of resettling seven million people out of the densely populated Nile Valley.     

Effect of New Nag Hammadi Barrage on Groundwater and Drainage Conditions and Suggestion of Mitigation Measures

The government of Egypt has decided to construct a new barrage with hydropower facilities, 3.5 km downstream of the existing old one. The water levels in the head pond for the new barrage will be continuously maintained at a level with approximately 0.5 m higher than water level in the head pond of the existing one. To evaluate the effect of increasing the head pond water level on the groundwater and drainage, there is a need to enhancelinking reservoir and stream/aquifer system. Visual MODFLOW hasbeen used to simulate the surface water/groundwater interaction in the area of proposed new barrage. The model has been calibratedagainst the available historical groundwater levels for 25 observation wells based on the steady state conditions. Numerical modeling suggests that river stage is the primary control of rapid groundwater hydraulic head fluctuations in theaquifer system. At present the area at which the depth to groundwater table less than one meter is about 30 110 feddans (1 feddan = 4200 m²). This area will increase to be about40 610 feddans after the construction of the new barrage and increasing the head pond water level. The mitigation measures toovercome the effect of construction of the new barrage have been discussed and their costs have been estimated and evaluated. Increasing the efficiency of existing drainage system by maintenance/upgrading and constructing a new pump station is recommended.     

GIS-Based Groundwater Management Model for Western Nile Delta

The limited availability of renewable fresh water is a major constraint on future agriculture and urban development in Egypt. The main water resource that Egypt has been depending on is the River Nile. Nowadays, the role of groundwater is steadily increasing and will cover 20% of the total water supply in the coming decades especially in the reclaimed areas along the desert fringes of the Nile Delta and Valley. Abstraction from groundwater in Egypt is dynamic in nature as it grows rapidly with the expansion of irrigation activities, industrialization, and urbanization. One of these areas is the Western Nile Delta in which the groundwater is exploited in many localities. To avoid the deterioration of the aquifer system in this area, an efficient integrated and sustainable management plan for groundwater resources is needed. Efficient integrated and sustainable management of water resources relies on a comprehensive database that represents the characteristics of the aquifer system and modeling tools to achieve the impacts of decision alternatives. In this paper, a GIS-based model has been developed for the aquifer system of the Western Nile Delta. The GIS provides the utilization of analytical tools and visualization capabilities for pre-and post-processing information involved in groundwater modeling for the study area. The developed model was calibrated for steady state and transient conditions against the historical groundwater heads observed during the last 20 yr. The calibrated model was used to evaluate groundwater potentiality and to test two alternative management scenarios for conserving the aquifer system in Western Nile Delta. In the first scenario, reducing the surface water inflow while increasing the annual abstraction from groundwater by about 450 million m³ and improving the irrigation system could increase the net aquifer recharge by about 5.7% and reduce the aquifer potentiality by about 91%. Constructing a new canal as a second management scenario could increase the annual aquifer potentiality by about 23%. The GIS-based model has been proven to be an efficient tool for formulating integrated and sustainable management plan.     

Performance Evaluating Model for Construction Companies: Egyptian Case Study

The dynamic nature of today’s construction industry compels construction partners to seek strategies in order to improve performance. Current research introduces a performance evaluation model for construction companies in order to provide a proper tool for a company’s managers, owners, shareholders, and funding agencies to evaluate the performance of construction companies. The model developed helps a company’s management to make the right decisions. Financial, economical, and industrial data are collected from Egyptian construction companies for nine consecutive years (1992–2000). Five indices (models) are developed: company performance score, economy performance score, industry performance score, performance index, and performance grade. The models developed consider companies in four construction sectors: general building, heavy, special trade, and real estate. These models accommodate the effect of macroeconomic and industry related factors and company size on the performance evaluation. The final outcome of current research is a performance grade, which provides the performance of a construction company. The developed model is validated, which shows robust results.     

Sand Transport in Nile River, Egypt

Measurements of bed-load and suspended-load transport rates were carried out successfully at four cross sections of the Nile River, in Egypt, along the entire length from Aswan to Cairo using a mechanical sampler called the Delft Nile Sampler. The measured transport rates were compared to similar data sets from two other large scale rivers: the Rhine-Waal River in the Netherlands and the Mississippi River in the USA. The bed-load transport rates in the Nile River and in the Rhine-Waal River are in very good agreement. Comparison of suspended transport rates in the Nile River and in the Mississippi River shows that both data sets are complementary, revealing a very consistent trend of suspended transport against current velocity; suspended transport is roughly proportional to (Vav)3?to?4. Three formulas for the prediction of bed-load transport were tested using the Nile data: Meyer-Peter–Muller, Bagnold, and Van Rijn. The prediction formula of Van Rijn produced significantly better results than the other two formulas; the average relative error was about 60%. The formula of Van Rijn was modified to extend it to conditions with slightly nonuniform sediment mixtures by introducing a correction factor for the bed shear parameter. Based on a limited number of flume experiments, the correction factor was found to be dependent on the characteristics of the sediment mixture (d10, d50, d90, and σg). Comparison of bed-load transport measured in the Nile River with computed transport rates of the modified formula showed improved results; the average relative error decreased to about 30%. The formulas of Bagnold and Van Rijn were also used to compute the suspended transport rates in the Nile River. The computed transport rates were found to be within a factor of 2 of measured values; the formula of Bagnold performed slightly better. The total load transport formula of Engelund–Hansen was also successfully used (computed values within a factor of about 2 of measured values).     

Arbitral Tribunal Proceedings Case Study: Egyptian Large-Scale Construction Project

This paper investigates how arbitration is used as a dispute resolution mechanism in Egyptian large scale construction projects and what are the types of issues that construction professionals should address when they encounter claims in the Egyptian construction market. To meet the goals and objectives of this study, a research project was conducted to study the arbitration process for a dispute that was in excess of $31 million, which arose out as a result of the proceeds of a large-scale project with an original contact price of $85 million that was constructed in Cairo, Egypt. This research project analytically investigated the background of the conflicts, the arbitral proceedings, and the award issued by the arbitral tribunal. Based on such thorough study, it was concluded that arbitration did not provide a timely and cost-effective resolution for the said dispute. Moreover, the same study has raised questions in relation to the overall management of megaconstruction projects in Egypt namely: (1) the impartiality of project managers; (2) the magnitude of change orders and consequent delays; (3) the magnitude of claimed amounts; and (4) the level of management and administration of claims and disputes. It is perceived that this paper would trigger professionals to think of other suitable dispute resolution mechanisms, such as dispute review boards, for settlement of claims arising from Egyptian large scale construction projects. Furthermore, this study would be of value for contractors and owners who intend to work in the Egyptian construction market.     

Bulk Compositions,Genetic Origin,Classifications, and Maturation of Crude Oils in the Gulf of Suez,Egypt

Abstract

API gravity, sulfur content, gas chromatography, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses were carried out for eight oil samples collected from different wells in the Gulf of Suez. The results showed that two types of oils could be recognized: (a) heavy oils, which are oils from Zafarana, Rahmi, West Bakr, and Ras Gharib wells, are of low maturation and originated mainly from terrestrial organic sources; and (b) light oils, which are oils from Um El Yuser, Ras El Ush, Gemsa-SE, and Hurghada wells, have a high level of maturation and orginate mainly from marine organic sources.