Advances in Geomechanics Research and Application for Deep Unconventional Reservoirs

Book excerpt: Deep unconventional oil and gas reservoirs (such as shale oil/gas, tight oil/gas, coalbed methane (CBM), oil shale, etc.) are commonly characterized by geological and structural complexity, increased formation temperature and pressure, and complex in-situ stress fields. Geomechanics research is helpful to understand the in-situ stress of complex structures, faults and natural fracture systems in deep blocks. Field practice shows that insufficient geomechanics understanding can easily result in low drilling efficiency, long construction period, frequent occurrence of complex situations, and unsatisfactory fracturing effects. In recent years, geomechanics applied to drilling, completion, hydraulic fracturing, and production in unconventional reservoirs has achieved great progress, producing various advanced experimental and numerical approaches and applications. However, as the buried depth increases, the complicated geology conditions make it more and more difficult for the engineering reconstructions, which poses a great threat to the efficient development of deep resources. New knowledge and understandings of geomechanics are urgently needed to guide the development of unconventional oil/gas reservoirs, and the related theory, experiment and simulation studies are rapidly developing.