Reservoir Geomechanics - 9780521146197

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

Covering the exploration, assessment, and production phases of petroleum reservoir development, the book 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 book establishes the basic principles of geomechanics in a way that allows readers from different disciplinary backgrounds to understand the key concepts. It then goes on to introduce practical measurement and experimental techniques before illustrating their successful application, through case studies taken from oil and gas fields around the world, to improve recovery and reduce exploitation costs.

Reservoir Geomechanics is a practical reference 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.

Praise for Reservoir Geomechanics:

"A very comprehensive and complete book spanning all the aspects of stress within the accessible Earth. It is particularly useful in the fields of oil industry, geothermics and seismic hazard."-Tectonophysics

"...a strong and authoritative treatment Professor Zoback's book will be a valued guide and reference to geoscientists and engineers."-International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences

"A major advantage of the book is its interdisciplinary approach, in that it provides an excellent crossover between aspects of structural geology and reservoir engineering - a link that is all too often overlooked. I would recommend it to any geologist working in a situation where faults or fractures interact with the present-day stress field."-The Geological Society website