Reservoir Geomechanics

Zoback ResGeo Promo V3

ABOUT THIS COURSE

This interdisciplinary course encompasses the fields of rock mechanics, structural geology, earthquake seismology and petroleum engineering to address a wide range of geomechanical problems that arise during the exploitation of oil and gas reservoirs.

The course considers key practical issues such as prediction of pore pressure, estimation of hydrocarbon column heights and fault seal potential, determination of optimally stable well trajectories, casing set points and mud weights, changes in reservoir performance during depletion, and production-induced faulting and subsidence. The first part of the course establishes the basic principles involved in a way that allows readers from different disciplinary backgrounds to understand the key concepts.

The course is intended for geoscientists and engineers in the petroleum and geothermal industries, and for research scientists interested in stress measurements and their application to problems of faulting and fluid flow in the crust.

RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND:

Introductory Geology and Geophysics
Familiarity with principles of drilling and petroleum production

COURSE FORMAT:

• 20, 90 minute lectures (in ~20 minute segments). 2 lectures will be made available each week, starting April 1, 2014.
• Lecture 1 is a course overview to introduce students to the topics covered in the course. Lectures 2-17 follow 12 chapters of Dr. Zoback’s textbook, Reservoir Geomechanics (Cambridge University Press, 2007) with updated examples and applications. Lectures 18 and 19 are on topics related to geomechanical issues affecting shale gas and tight oil recovery. Lecture 20 is on the topic of managing the risk of triggered and induced seismicity.
• 8 Homework assignments (and associated video modules) are intended to give students hands-on experience with a number of the topics addressed in the course.
• The course grade will be based solely on homework assignments. There will be no quizzes or exams.
• Homework assignments will be graded electronically and will consist of multiple choice and numerical entry responses.
• There will be an online discussion forum where students can discuss the content of the course and ask questions of each other and the instructors.

COURSE STAFF

Dr. Mark D. Zoback

Dr. Mark D. Zoback is the Benjamin M. Page Professor of Geophysics at Stanford University. Dr. Zoback conducts research on in situ stress, fault mechanics, and reservoir geomechanics with an emphasis on shale gas, tight gas and tight oil production. He was one of the principal investigators of the SAFOD project in which a scientific research well was successfully drilled through the San Andreas Fault at seismogenic depth. He is the author of a textbook entitled Reservoir Geomechanics published in 2007 by Cambridge University Press. He is the author/co-author of over 300 technical papers and holds five patents. He was the co-founder of GeoMechanics International in 1996, where he was Chairman of the Board until 2008. Dr. Zoback currently serves as a Senior Executive Adviser to Baker Hughes. Dr. Zoback has received a number of awards and honors, including the 2006 Emil Wiechert Medal of the German Geophysical Society and the 2008 Walter H. Bucher Medal of the American Geophysical Union. In 2011, he was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and in 2012 elected to Honorary Membership in the Society of Exploration Geophysicists. He is the 2013 recipient of the Louis Néel Medal, European Geosciences Union and named an Einstein Chair Professor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He recently served on the National Academy of Engineering committee investigating the Deepwater Horizon accident and the Secretary of Energy’s committee on shale gas development and environmental protection. He currently serves on a Canadian Council of Academies panel investigating the same topic. Dr. Zoback is currently serving on the National Academy of Sciences Advisory Board on drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

Arjun H. Kohli, Graduate Teaching Assistant

Arjun H. Kohli is a 4th year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Geophysics at Stanford and laboratory manager of the Stress and Crustal Mechanics Laboratory. Arjun conducts research on fault mechanics and microstructure with applications to plate-boundary fault zones, geothermal and petroleum reservoirs, and induced and triggered seismicity. He completed a B.S. in Geology-Physics/Mathematics at Brown University in 2010 and was awarded the Brown University Department of Geological Sciences Undergraduate Research Award for his work on dynamic fault weakening mechanisms. In 2011, he received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship to investigate controls on the transition from stable to dynamic fault slip with Dr. Zoback at Stanford. Arjun is currently engaged in collaborative research with numerous partners including the United States Geological Survey, University of Silesia, University of Minnesota, and Stanford University Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Will I receive a Statement of Accomplishment

Yes. A Statement of Accomplishment will be given to students who obtain more than 70% of the maximum score on the homework assignments.

Do I need to purchase a textbook for the course?

While it is not required to purchase the Reservoir Geomechanics textbook for this course, it is recommended. Lectures 2-17 follow the 12 chapters of the book. The book provides significant additional detail and explanation of the course concepts. It is available through:
Cambridge University Press:
http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/earth-and-environmental-science/applied-geoscience-petroleum-and-mining-geoscience/reservoir-geomechanics
Amazon and Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/Reservoir-Geomechanics-Mark-D-Zoback/dp/0521146194