N379 Application of Geomechanics to Reservoir Characterization, Management and Hydraulic Stimulation (Wyoming, USA)
N379 Application of Geomechanics to Reservoir Characterization, Management and Hydraulic Stimulation (Wyoming, USA)
Business Impact: Participants will acquire an improved geomechanical perspective which will enable them to better discern superior vs. marginal prospects and completion strategies, enhancing value and reducing costs in day to day company operations.
The goal of this field workshop is to provide geoscientists and engineers with a thorough and practical exposure to the range of topics required to understand, characterize and predict the geomechanical response of reservoir rocks to geologic processes, field management, and hydraulic fracturing. The deep integration of geological mechanics and reservoir engineering is a primary goal of the course and is woven throughout via integrated and interactive class projects worked by interdisciplinary teams.
This five-day field workshop interweaves fundamental background material from lecture, first-hand field observations, and interactive group exercises to yield a robust technical discussion leading to an understanding of how the application of geomechanics can be used for quantitative reservoir characterization and management applications, including reservoir stimulation.
Participants will learn to:
The class is based in the Laramide Rockies of central Wyoming. All of the outcrops visited are within a one hour drive of Casper, which is the home base of the course. An important element of the course is the quantitative comparison in the field and in lecture of the geomechanical behavior of all important petroleum reservoir rock types including high-quality sandstone, tight sandstone, carbonate, unconventional shale, and fractured basement. Participants will learn applications of geomechanical analysis that can be directly applied to reservoir characterizations and for field management decisions. Important learning vehicles of the course are five group exercises/projects that begin with direct outcrop analysis and end with discussion/presentation of reservoir characterization with field management implications.
The main topics addressed are:
Agenda
Day 0
Travel to Casper, Wyoming
Day 1
Introductory Lectures and Field Stops
Day 2
Rock Deformational Response, Outcrop Fracture Characterization, Development of a Geologic Fracture Model
Day 3
Hydraulic Fracturing, Wellbore Fracture Characterization, Stress Analysis, Subsurface Geologic Integration
Day 4
Coupled Processes, Mechanical Stratigraphy Evolution, Structural Diagenesis
Day 5
Concluding Lectures and Exercises and Travel Home
This field workshop is tailored for geoscientists and petroleum engineers who are active in petroleum asset appraisal, field development and management.
There are no prerequisites for the course, although a familiarity with structural geology, as presented in classroom course N138 (Structural Interpretation in Petroleum Exploration and Development), or a number of Nautilus field courses, would be advantageous. A related course is D411 (Fractures, Stress and Geomechanic), which has more of a focus on numerical geomechanical modeling. Other related courses include D437 (Geomechanics for Unconventional and Tight Reservoirs) and D521 (Recognizing, Characterizing, & Modeling Naturally Fractured Reservoirs).
The physical demands for this class are MODERATE according to the Nautilus Training Alliance field course grading system. Fieldwork is in central Wyoming, where conditions can range from cold and wet to warm and dry. Participants will be taking numerous short walks and several longer hikes that range in length between 1 and 4 km (0.6-2.5 miles) with elevation gains ranging up to 100 m (330 ft). One hike is 4 miles (6.5 km) in length and has an elevation gain of 500 ft (150 m). The field locations are generally at elevations around 1400 m (4,600 ft). Activities at these higher elevations may lead to unexpected fatigue or shortness of breath for some participants. Transport is by SUVs. Driving to field locations is on public roads and improved dirt roads. Pontoon boats will be used to access field locations at Alcova reservoir.
Click on a name to learn more about the instructor
Background
Dr. Hennings is a Research Scientist at The University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology where he is the Principal Investigator in the Center for Integrated Seismicity Research and a Lecturer in the Department of Geological Sciences. Peter retired after 25 years in the petroleum industry where he worked as a research scientist (Mobil Oil and Phillips Petroleum) and technical manager (ConocoPhillips). Peter received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Texas A&M University and his Ph.D. from The University of Texas. Peter’s technical specialties include structural geology, seismic structural analysis, reservoir geomechanics, induced seismicity, and geology of the Laramide Rockies. Peter is an AAPG Distinguished Lecturer, GSA Fellow, and a founder of the AAPG Petroleum Structure and Geomechanics Division. Peter has taught more than 200 field seminars and classroom courses on seismic structural analysis, reservoir geomechanics, and Rocky Mountain structural and petroleum geology. Peter also teaches RPS Nautilus N074.
Affiliations and Accreditation
PhD University of Texas – Structural Geology
MSc Texas A&M University – Structural Geology
BSc Texas A&M University – Geology
Honorary Fellow of the Geological Society of America
Registered Professional Geologist – Texas
Courses Taught
N074:Geological Seismic Interpretation Field Seminar: Compressional Systems (Montana, USA)
N379: Application of Geomechanics to Reservoir Characterization, Management and Hydraulic Stimulation (Wyoming,USA)
Background
Jon is a professor in and the chair of the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, where he has been on the faculty for 25 years. He specializes in rock and fracture mechanics applications to petroleum engineering and structural geology, particularly with regard to hydraulic fracturing.
Prior to joining UT-Austin, Jon spent 6 years as a research engineer for Mobil Research and Development Corporation in Dallas. His research and consulting work there focused on hydraulic fracturing, reservoir compaction and subsidence, and naturally fractured reservoir characterization, mostly for reservoirs in the North Sea, the San Joaquin Valley of California, the Rocky Mountains and Texas.
His UT research group is currently engaged in hydraulic fracture model development and physical experiments, natural fracture pattern modelling and characterization, and the geomechanics of induced seismicity. He is a co-PI of the Fracture Research and Application Consortium at UT-Austin, an interdisciplinary effort of geologists and engineers focusing on oil and gas production from naturally fractured reservoirs and shales. He was honored with Distinguished Membership in the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) in 2016, received SPE’s Completions Optimization and Technology Award in 2019, and has been a Distinguished Lecturer for both SPE and AAPG.
Affiliations and Accreditation
BS Earth Science, The University of Notre Dame, 1984
BS Civil Engineering, The University of Notre Dame, 1984
PhD, Applied Earth Science, Stanford University
Courses Taught
N379: Application of Geomechanics to Reservoir Characterization, Management, and Hydraulic Stimulation (Wyoming, USA)
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