Applied Rock Mechanics

Audience

The course is aimed at all geologists, explorationists and reservoir engineers involved in exploration, appraisal and development.

Content

- Introduction to rock mechanics: definitions
- Stress and strain: tectonic stress field, normal and shear stress, effective stress
- Pore pressure: pore pressure at depth, overpressure, effect on rock strength
- Elasticity: elastic strains, seismic wave velocities, Poisson's ratio, elastic moduli, poroelasticity
- Brittle failure criteria: uniaxial, triaxial, direct /indirect tensile strength rock deformation testing
- Fracturing: fracture initiation, propagation and development, controls on fracturing
- Ductile rock deformation: deformation mechanisms, creep tests
- Strain analysis: determining plane and non-plane strain, volume changes, Fry method
- Structural Geology: plate tectonic environments, regional and local stress fields
- Reservoir planning: determining well trajectories, reservoir performance, reservoir pressure
- Reservoir deformation: role of temperature, pore fluid pressure prediction and monitoring
- Borehole stability: effects of principal stress directions, mud weight, borehole breakouts
- Fault seal: Allan diagrams, shale:gouge ratio, pressure gradients

Learning Objectives

The aim of the course is to give the participant the necessary skills to undertake a detailed evaluation of stress and strain data to improve well planning, aid understanding and prevention of borehole instability, and enhance recovery by hydraulic fracturing.