Drilling Geomechanics in Naturally Fractured Reservoirs Near Salt Structures From Pore-Pressure in Carbonates to Multiphysics Models

This book explains different phenomena that occur in Naturally Fractured Reservoirs (NFRs) of carbonate rocks neighboring a salt structure and how it affects well drilling. Prediction of carbonate pore pressure is difficult; therefore, a new set of pore pressure equations for carbonates were developed, accounting for overpressure and depleted conditions. A detailed description of a fully coupled model is shown in order to discuss geomechanics and the coupling of fluid flow in porous media and to achieve a better representation of the mechanics involved in the exploitation of NFRs. Additionally, results of a new model of geomechanics in vuggy carbonate reservoirs are presented. This book also displays a wide discussion, analysis, and numerical implementation of six different salt rheology models. Furthermore, the most representative rheology salt models were studied aside with the fully coupled model of geomechanics and fluid flow in porous media. Finally, it presents an answer to areal case of a well drilled near a salt diapir where anomalous pore pressure was found.

Introduction.- Pore-Pressure for Carbonates.- Coupled Geomechanics and Fluid Flow in Naturally Fractured Reservoirs.- Rheology of Salt Rocks.- Coupled Poroelasticity Viscoelasticity Model.- Conclusions

Juan Pedro Morales Salazar is a drilling and geomechanics scientist; he is also a consulting professor of petroleum engineering subjects at the School of Engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Currently, he works at PEMEX-PEP as an external technical advisor in different topics regarding geomechanics applied to well drilling, pore pressure prediction, pressure management drilling, drilling transient flow and cutting transport, hydraulic fracturing, directional drilling, cementing, among others. He holds a B.S. degree, a M.S. and Ph.D. all in petroleum engineering from the UNAM. He is a SPE member and has had many presentations in technical conferences in the Mexican Petroleum Congress (CMP) and the Mexican Petroleum Engineering Association meetings (AIPM).