Super‐Permeable Flow Zones in the Permo–Triassic Carbonates of the South Pars Gas Field: Genesis and Characteristics

ABSTRACT Super‐permeable flow zones (SPFZs) are thin yet hydraulically dominant intervals that exert a first‐order control on fluid flow in carbonate reservoirs. This integrated study identifies and characterizes two stratigraphically discrete SPFZs within the Permo–Triassic carbonate reservoir of the South Pars gas field. Although these zones constitute less than 4% of the total reservoir thickness (17 m), flow‐unit analysis using stratigraphic modified Lorenz plots (SMLPs) and normalized cumulative permeability plots (NCPP) demonstrates that they control nearly half of the cumulative flow capacity of the studied well. Integration of sedimentological, stratigraphic, petrographic, geochemical, and petrophysical datasets demonstrates that SPFZs are not anomalous or randomly distributed features, but stratigraphically predictable and genetically constrained. These zones preferentially occur within dolomitized shoal grainstones developed during late transgressive to early highstand conditions of specific fourth‐order depositional sequences, although not all comparable intervals evolved into SPFZs. Their exceptional permeability is interpreted to reflect the combined effects of facies‐selective reflux dolomitization, limited anhydrite cementation, and subsequent burial recrystallization that enhanced pore connectivity and imparted a characteristic geochemical signature marked by δ 18 O depletion and enrichment in Mn and Fe. This process‐based understanding provides a robust geological framework for the deterministic incorporation of SPFZs into static and dynamic reservoir models, replacing purely stochastic permeability distributions with stratigraphically and diagenetically constrained predictions. Although SPFZs generate extreme internal heterogeneity, the results demonstrate that their occurrence and hydraulic impact can be anticipated and effectively managed, with direct implications for reservoir modeling, completion design, sweep efficiency, and long‐term recovery optimization in heterogeneous carbonate reservoirs.