SPE Chapter Meeting
Lunch & Lecture – April 1st
Please join us for lunch and a presentation by SPE International Distinguished Lecturer Hamed Soroush.
Who: Mr. Hamed Soroush (Weatherford) will be presenting about Non-conventional Geomechanics for Unconventional Resources.
When: Monday, 1 April 2013
11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Where: San Juan College, Henderson Hall Room 9012
4601 College Blvd. Farmington, NM
Cost: $20 with early RSVP, $25 at the door
Please RSVP through the event at the Four Corners Section website no later than NOON (12:00 pm) on Wednesday, 27 March. Any RSVP made after this time will be charged $25, which is also the price at the door.
Presentation Title: Non-conventional Geomechanics for Unconventional Resources
Bio:
Hamed Soroush is the Global Geomechanics Advisor for the Petroleum Consulting Services at Weatherford International based in Dubai. Hamed holds a BS degree in Mining Engineering, a MS degree in Rock Mechanics, and a PhD in Petroleum Engineering.
Abstract:
Nowadays, unconventional resources of gas have been brought into the forefront of the energy future due to the increase demand of hydrocarbons and the decline of production from conventional reservoirs. These energy sources are a fast-growing market and are recognized as having huge future potential for production worldwide.
Due to low permeability of unconventional resources, production at commercial levels requires conducting effective hydraulic fracturing and applying horizontal drilling technologies. Therefore, successful production from such complex reservoirs, with a poorly-defined gas-water contact, natural fractures, and very low matrix permeability, is heavily dependent on the stress regime requiring sufficient geomechanical analyses.
Geomechanics is an essential component of simulation of and production from both conventional and unconventional reservoirs. It is because rock deformation and stress caused by drilling and /or production is very likely to affect permeability and porosity during the whole life of a reservoir. The extraction of hydrocarbons from a reservoir or the injection of fluids changes the in-situ stresses, which potentially leads to compaction and subsidence impacting well and completion integrity, cap-rock and fault-seal integrity, and fracture behavior.
However, geomechanics for unconventional resources is to some extent different from conventional reservoirs due to intricacy imposed by inelastic matrix behavior, stress sensitivity, existence of cleats and natural fractures, rock rheology, and different pressure-temperature environments. In addition to complex geology, petrophysics, and reservoir heterogeneities, unconventional reservoirs provide unique challenges related to hydrocarbon storage and flow in complex rock systems, thus requiring an improved fundamental understanding for effective production.
This presentation discusses the geomechanical aspects of unconventional resources and how it adds value to the development of this type of reservoir.