The Role of Geomechanics at Early Stages of Field Development: A Case Study

Abstract

Abstract This paper presents the methodologies and approaches adopted by the Asset Team to integrate geomechanics at the early stages of a field development. The reservoir is a tight carbonate formation, with low structural relief and is offset by major strike-slip faults. The development plan called for a line drive pattern of horizontal producers and injectors (4000 ft open-hole completions), targeting layers with different petrophysical and geomechanical properties. Water-Alternating-Gas (WAG) was selected as the main recovery process. The main concerns at the early stage of field development were the following: 1) What is the best orientation for the horizontal wells ?; 2) Will there be any thermally induced fracturing during injection ?; 3) What would be the role of the existing faults within the development area ?; Would any fault reactivation be expected ?; 4) What would be the impact of joints/faults as permeability enhancements due to pressure and/or temperature gradients. 5) Is there any stress dependency of porosity and permeability ? All these questions were addressed before planning the horizontal wells by conducting a judicious and fit-for-purpose geomechanical study. The aim of this paper is to summarize the geomechanical workflows conducted in the Team prior to the drilling campaign to assess the best orientation for the horizontal wells.