Geomechanics applied to the petroleum industry: Wellbore stability, sand production, and hydraulic fracturing
Abstract
This article introduces three applications of geomechanics in oil and gas industry, encompassing wellbore stability analysis, hydraulic fracturing, and sand production. In this paper, we reviewed three commonly used applications involving transforming stress values from the in situ coordinate system to the wellbore centric coordinate system, which have been published in the previous studies. Subsequently, various failure criteria are applied to these three geomechanical problems. First, wellbore stability analysis involves six distinct scenarios across different oil reservoirs. The results obtained enable the selection of appropriate drilling mud densities to prevent collapses and instability of wellbore. Second, regarding sand production modeling, three oil fields are presented as examples. The results consistently indicate instances of sand production under various well production conditions. Finally, the application of geomechanics in hydraulic fracturing is illustrated. The findings distinctly illustrate the evolutionary pattern of fracture dimensions, highlighting a consistent trend in fracture length development. Notably, the expansion phase of the fracture exhibits a rapid onset during the initial stages, followed by a transition into an exceedingly gradual propagation state.
References
Hassan Bagheri, Abbas Ayatizadeh Tanha, Faramarz Doulati Ardejani, Mojtaba Heydari-Tajreh, and Ehsan Larki, “Geomechanical model and wellbore stability analysis utilizing acoustic impedance and reflection coefficient in a carbonate reservoir”, Journal of Petroleum Exploration and Production Technology, Volume 11, pp. 3935 - 3961, 2021. DOI: 10.1007/s13202-021-01291-2.
Zhongwei Wu, Chuanzhi Cui, Peifeng Jia, Zhen Wang, and Yingfei Sui, “Advances and challenges in hydraulic fracturing of tight reservoir: A critical review”, Energy Geoscience, Volume 3, Issue 4, pp. 427 - 435, 2022. DOI: 10.1016/j.engeos.2021.08.002.
Nguyen Van Hung and Bui Thi Thuy Linh, “Geomechanical model and sanding onset assessment: A field case study in Vietnam”, Petrovietnam Journal, Volume 10, pp. 40 - 46, 2021. DOI: 10.47800/PVJ.2021.10-04.
Bernt S.Aadnøy and Reza Looyeh, Petroleum rock mechanics: Drilling operations and well design, 2nd edition. Gulf Professional Publishing, 2019.
W.B. Bradley, “Failure of inclined boreholes”, Journal of Energy Resources Technology, Volume 101, Issue 4, pp. 232 - 239, 1979 . DOI: 10.1115/1.3446925.
Erling Fjær, Rune Martin Holt, Per Horsrud, and Arne Marius Raaen, Petroleum related rock mechanics, 2nd edition. Elsevier Science, 2008.
P.A.Charlez, Rock mechanics, Volume 2: Petroleum Application. Editions Technip, 1997 .
S.M.Willson, Z.A.Moschovidis, J.R.Cameron, and I.D.Palmer, “New model for prediction the rate of sand production”, SPE/ISRM Rock Mechanics Conference, Irving, Texas, 20 - 23 October 2002. DOI: 10.2118/78168-MS .
R.T.Ewy, “Wellbore stability predictions by use of a modified lade criterion”, SPE Drilling & Completion, Volume 14, Issue 2, pp. 85 - 91, 1999. DOI: 10.2118/56862-PA .
Bin Chen, Beatriz Ramos Barboza, Yanan Sun, Jie Bai, Hywel Rthomas, Martin Dutko, Mark Cottrell, and Chenfeng Li, “A review of hydraulic fracturing simulation”, Archives of Computational Methods in Engineering, Volume 29, pp. 2113 - 2170, 2022. DOI: 10.1007/s11831-021-09653-z.
Kwon Research Group, “Modeling and control of hydraulic fracturing for enhanced productivity”. [Online]. Available: https://kwon.engr.tamu.edu/research/modeling-and-control-of-hydraulic-fracturing-processes/.
J. Geertsma and F. De Klerk, “A rapid method of predicting width and extent of hydraulically induced fractures”, Journal of Petroleum Technology, Volume 21, Issue 12, pp. 1571 - 1581, 1969. DOI: 10.2118/2458-PA.
Jean-François Nauroy, Geomechanics applied to he petroleum industry. Editions Technip, 2011.
1. The Author assigns all copyright in and to the article (the Work) to the Petrovietnam Journal, including the right to publish, republish, transmit, sell and distribute the Work in whole or in part in electronic and print editions of the Journal, in all media of expression now known or later developed.
2. By this assignment of copyright to the Petrovietnam Journal, reproduction, posting, transmission, distribution or other use of the Work in whole or in part in any medium by the Author requires a full citation to the Journal, suitable in form and content as follows: title of article, authors’ names, journal title, volume, issue, year, copyright owner as specified in the Journal, DOI number. Links to the final article published on the website of the Journal are encouraged.
