S i l i Design

Stimulation D i

Overview of Rock Mechanics

Overview of Rock Mechanics
 Oilfield Rock  Mechanics

The discipline
p whose ggoal is to
describe the behavior of
underground
g formations and rocks
under in-situ and externally applied
loading
o d g coconditions.
d o s.
Application to Oil and Gas Wells
Application to Oil and Gas Wells 
• Drilling: Borehole Stability
Borehole Stability
Formation Breakdown
Wellbore Trajectory
• Stimulation: Treatment Design
Fracture Initiation Pressure
Fracture Propagation Pressure
Fracture Geometry
• Production: Formation Stability / Failure
Formation Stability / Failure
Formation Movement
Effective Reservoir Drainage

Rock Mechanics
 Assumptions / Simplifications Typical With 
Respect to Stimulation
Formations are:

• Homogeneous:  Smallest element has same  
physical properties as the body as a whole.

• Isotropic:  Properties independent of direction.
• Linearly Elastic:  Deformations induced in body by 
external forces disappear  completely upon removal of 
pp p y p
these forces

Rock Mechanics
How Realistic are these Idealizations?
• Homogeneous
– Good if rock types in zones of interest are similar; no 
natural fracturing
lf i
– Less accurate if layering and different rock type
• Isotropic
p
– Relatively good assumption horizontally (other than natural 
fractures)
– Less accurate in vertical plane unless homogeneous
Less accurate in vertical plane unless homogeneous
• Elastic
– Good for moderate hardness rocks and no natural fracs
– Less accurate for soft, weak rocks or very hard formations

Rock Mechanics
Mechanical Rock Properties
Mechanical Rock Properties

• Stress (
• ( 
Strain (
• Young’s Modulus (E)
• Poisson’ss Ratio (
Poisson Ratio (
• Shear Modulus (G)

Rock Mechanics
 Definition of Strain:   Change in Size When 
Load Applied
Load Applied
Change in Length
Strain 
Original Length
L 2  L1  L
 
L1 L
L
Compressed
C d
Original L1 Sample
Length L2
Length

Rock Mechanics
 Measurement of Young’s  Area
F
Stress Modulus E
L

 = F/A 
E

 L



Strain
 L/L
L/L
F
Rock Mechanics
Linear Elasticity is Similar to a Spring
Linear Elasticity is Similar to a Spring

Rock Mechanics
Effect of Varying Young’s Modulus 
(N t C id i P i
(Not Considering Poisson’s Ratio)
’ R ti )
5000 5000
Lbs. Lbs. 5000
Lbs
Lbs.

3 x 107 3 x 106 3 x 105

Rock Mechanics
Measurement of Poisson’s Ratio 

Undeformed
 Deformed
2r

lateral F

 L

axial
L
L
 axial  L

r r
 lateral  r
Rock Mechanics
 Effect of Varying Poisson’s
Ratio Given Young’s Modulus 

5000 PSI

.1 .3 .5

Rock Mechanics
 Ranges of Mechanical Properties
Ranges of Mechanical Properties
Material Young's Modulus (psi) Poisson's Ratio
Unconsolidated sands 1,450 - 14,500 ~0.45
Sandstone 14,500 - 4,340,000 0.0 - 0.45
Clay 8,700 - 21,800 ~0.40
Sh l
Shale 58 000 - 10,000,000
58,000 10 000 000 00-0
0.0 0.30
30
High Porosity Chalk 72,500 - 725,000 0.05 - 0.35
Low Porosity Chalk 725,000 - 4,350,000 0.05 - 0.30
Basalt 7 250 000 - 14
7,250,000 14,500,000
500 000 02-0
0.2 0.3
3
Granite 725,000 - 12,300,000 0.3 - 0.4
Marble 725,000 - 13,000,000 0.0 - 0.3
Ice 1 160 000
1,160,000 0 35
0.35
Steel 29,000,000 0.28

Source: Petroleum Related Rock Mechanics, Elsevier, 1992

Rock Mechanics
Significance of Elastic Properties

• Fracture Geometry
• Fracture Containment
• Fracture Propagation
• In‐Situ Stress Magnitude (due 
to overburden))

Rock Mechanics
 Other Rock Properties
Other Rock Properties
• Shear Modulus
Shear Modulus
• Bulk Modulus
• Tensile Strength
• Compressive Strength
p g
• Fracture Toughness
• Hardness
• Poro‐Elastic Constant

Rock Mechanics
Hydraulic Fracture Modeling
Hydraulic Fracture Modeling
• Modeled:  
– Propagation Geometry
P ti G t
– Fracture Containment
– Effects of simplistic fluid leakoff
p
• Not Usually Modeled: 
– Fracture Initiation – not in any broadly used 
model
– Effect of Perforations – Only Idealistic 
modelingg
– Effect of Perforation Orientation‐not/rare
– Effect of Wellbore Orientation‐not/rare
– Realistic effects of fluid viscosity
R li i ff f fl id i i
Rock Mechanics
In Situ Formation Stress
In Situ Formation Stress
v

H
h

Rock Mechanics
 Source of Stress
Source of Stress
• Overburden
– Deposition of sediment combined 
with external confinement
• Tectonics
• Geologic History
Geologic History
• Field Operations

Rock Mechanics
 Prevention of Movement
Prevention of Movement
Induces Lateral Forces 

Due to confinement, the effective vertical stress

induces an effective horizontal stress component in
the grains
grains.

Rock Mechanics
 Possible Causes of
Horizontal Stress Differences
• Geologic Features:
G l i F t Mountains
M i
Active Basin
• Geologic Activity: Faulting
Volcanic Activity
Salt Bed Movement
• Mineral Recovery & Petroleum Extraction
y
• Erosion & Deposition

Rock Mechanics
 Tectonic Stresses
Tectonic Stresses
• Stresses
Stresses due to regional movement of the earth 
due to regional movement of the earth
crust may result in:
–UUnequal horizontal stress components
lh i t l t t
– Sharp contrast in stresses between adjacent 
formations

Rock Mechanics
Measurement of In‐Situ
Measurement of In Situ Stress Magnitude
Stress Magnitude

• Open Hole Micro‐ & Minifracs
• Cased Hole Micro‐ & Minifracs
Cased Hole Micro & Minifracs
• Frac jobs
• Off W ll
Offset Wells
• Stress Logs (dual sonic)
• Core Testing

Rock Mechanics
Introducing the Borehole
Introducing the Borehole

Rock Mechanics
 Induced Stresses
Induced Stresses

Drilling of a circular wellbore 
causes a change in the in‐situ 
h i th i it
stresses immediately adjacent to 
the wellbore. 

Rock Mechanics
 Overhead View of Wellbore

Consider S2
S1  > S
> S2 3 S1 - S2

S1 3 S2 - S1
S1

Note: Compression assumed positive.

S2
Rock Mechanics
 Overhead View of Wellbore

Where is 
S2
Compressive 3 S1 - S2
Stress Maximum?

S1 3 S2 - S1
S1
Consider
S1 > S2
Note: Compression assumed positive.
S2
Rock Mechanics
 Overhead View of Wellbore

Borehole S2
Pressure Effects 3 S1 - S2
S1 > S2
Pw
S1 3 S2 - S1 S1
Tangential stresses
due to wellbore
pressure
S2
Rock Mechanics
 Open Hole Fracture Initiation
p
• Fluid pressure in wellbore induces tangential 
tensile stress component at wellbore wall.
il llb ll
• To initiate fracture, tangential stress must 
exceed sum of minimum stress concentration 
and tensile strength (To) of rock (for 
impermeable rock).
• Pore pressure changes in formation due to 
p g
fluid leak‐off change fracture initiation 
p
pressure.

Rock Mechanics
Overhead View of Wellbore

2
1 > 2

Pw
1 1
Where will
Wh ill
fracture start?

Rock Mechanics
2
Rock Mechanics
Net Pressure
Net Pressure
Net pressure is the
extra pressure (above
closure pressure)
required to keep a
fracture open.
 h min

Net P = BHTP-

Rock Mechanics