Rock Mechanics
Not too hard, not too soft
minutes reading time
Rod Gibbons
Project management of rock mechanic research can make all the difference in the usability of the results. Rock mechanics is more important today than ever.
As the general society struggles to understand how oil and gas is produced, ensuring the competency of the formations that are drilled and completed is essential. Building a realistic geologic model is an important part of understanding the entire well construction situation.
Other projects: Reservoir Management
Data and subsidence
Collecting the data to be used in determining rock mechanics is essential, and our staff have experience running logs, recovering core, sampling core (down to 0.5" samples), and performng tri-axial strain experiments.
Considerable cost and time can be saved in designing a comprehensive testing plan that focuses on the outcomes required for company goals and not get distracted by doing "fun" science.
Model building to simulate rock compaction and subsidence, ordinarily not an interesting topic in most reservoirs, but for a chalk reservoir that had entered pore collapse and plastic deformation due to pressure depletion this was an interesting challenge for the Ballycatter Engineering staff.
Working together with industry, academia and the reguator, a predictive model was created and used to predict the impact on surface infrastructure which was also further complicated by subsidence induced by a gaussian subsidence bowl from adjacent salt production.
The core of the issue
Understanding rock mechanics is core to being able to plan completions and production of a well. Wells are the most valuable assets an oil and gas company has, and understanding the competency and behaviour of the formations intersected will increase value, as long as the studies remain focused and built-for-purpose.
"opportunities for oil and gas companies"
An understanding of the rock mechanics during and after drilling can open opportunities for oil and gas companies. From stimulation to future use as carbon storage, having valid rock properties is a competitive advantage. Let Ballycatter Engineering help manage your rock mechanic project and return superior results.
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