Interpreting Geomechanical Models

Calibrating a geomechanical model, for several petroleum industry applications, can be very challenging due to data scarcity and variation of interpretation with application case. We accordingly discuss here three case studies related to wellbore stability, solids production prediction, and hydraulic fracturing, giving examples of calibration and prediction workflows, whereby the final choice of estimates and trends of safe mud windows, rock strength, and microseismic data, is explained. Calibration of geomechanical models A geomechanical model in its simplest form, for oil and gas industry projects, would correspond to a one-dimensional that is along a wellbore trajectory, representation of stresses, pore pressure, and rock elastic and strength properties. Theories and approaches for above are generally well established and documented, but uncertainties can be high, and it is the interpreter’s decision which method is best suited, as highlighted in the paper's three case studies on high pressure high temeperature, offshore, and coalbed methane fields.