--> Keynote: Growing Influence Of Geomechanics On Petroleum Exploration & Development: From Here To Where?

AAPG Asia Pacific Region GTW, Pore Pressure & Geomechanics: From Exploration to Abandonment

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Keynote: Growing Influence Of Geomechanics On Petroleum Exploration & Development: From Here To Where?

Abstract

Geomechanics is a science that deals with earth stresses; and a knowledge about these stresses in terms of their origin, magnitude and orientations can have a big impact on oilfield operations, particularly reservoir behavior. A complete understanding of the stresses and pressures acting in the earth is necessary to address a wide range of challenges faced throughout the lifecycle of hydrocarbon reservoirs. The geomechanical model is a representation of these stresses and pressures, and their effects on the rock. One of the most important and commonly understood uses of in-situ stress data in the petroleum industry is associated with problems of wellbore instability. However, the geomechanical model is potentially useful throughout the entire life of a field, and provides the foundational knowledge for understanding and developing solutions for drilling, completion, stimulation and exploitation of both conventional & unconventional reservoirs: to avoid hazards, increase efficiency and optimize production. Geomechanics discipline has made lot of strides in recent years not only to occupy its rightful place in an asset life cycle evaluation, but also in influencing critical business strategies. It has moved ahead by improving its applications through induction of more holistic workflows as well as through technological innovations: from derisking of exploration targets and characterization of complex reservoirs to optimization of production coupled with reservoir behavior. However, along with technological advancements that are changing the overall nature of the oil industry by disrupting the old ways of working, the subsurface challenges that the industry now faces has also become more complex. The oil and gas targets have not only become deeper and hotter, but also more difficult to reach and produce. All these have not only enabled the discipline to have a voice-on-the table throughout the technical assessment process, but also require the practitioners to evolve constantly: with the studies becoming much more multi-disciplinary as we delve more and more into the realm of ‘unknowns’. Moreover, the industry’s constant focus on taking out costs in recent years have also made some paradigm changes in understanding how Geomechanics can have an impact on not only reducing Non Productive Time (NPT), but also in improving well productivity and ultimately maximizing recovery through long-term reservoir monitoring and management. The talk would be focused on highlighting the above industry touchpoints that Geomechanics influences: from petroleum exploration to exploitation, and also emphasize on how the changing industry dynamics is impacting the discipline in terms of ongoing research, product development and service offerings.