ResGeo 202 Reservoir Geomechanics

Spring 2015, OpenEdX

Due May 26, 2015 (07:30 UTC)
Homework 7 Building a Geomechanical Model
Please direct any questions to the forum on the OpenEdX Courseware page

Background
In this assignment, you will use the stress polygon diagram (zobackogram) you built in
Homework 6 to construct a geomechanical model for the Barnett shale data using the
information below. If you are unsure about your answers to HW 6, solutions will be
posted after it is due that you can use to inform this homework.
Utilize a scientific computing or plotting program such as Microsoft Excel or MATLAB
to follow the steps below. Then, answer the questions on the webpage below this
.PDF document.
Instructions Part 1: Constraining Shmax from leak-off tests
Use the values below and those from homework 6 for your calculations and refer to the
stress polygon and parameters from Homework 6. Note however that the stress polygons
we are dealing with in this homework are for the stress state (in PSI) at one specific
depth, rather than normalized stress gradient (in PSI/ft) over a depth interval in the well
as they were in the previous homework.
Leak-off tests (LOTs) at the 2 given depths below have been used to determine the value
of Shmin. Laboratory testing on core samples at the given depths have been used to
estimate the value of UCS. Using the parameters below, and any you need from HW 6,
recalculate the constraints on Shmax at each depth, given the observed lack of tensile
failures or borehole breakouts from Homework 6.
Depth (ft) Sv (psi) Shmin measurement (psi) Pore pressure (psi) UCS (psi)
5000
5505
3491
2650
20000
6000
6606
6500
3180
24000

P (psi)
250
300

a) Multiply the stress gradients calculated in homework 6 for each point on the stress
polygon by each depth in the table above, to make a stress polygon at the given
depth. (ie. If a coordinate was 3psi/ft in HW 6, at 5,000 ft, it will be 15,000 PSI).
b) Given the Shmin value measured at each depth by a LOT, calculate the range of
possible SHmax values, to the nearest PSI.
Part 2: Answer the questions on the page below
Use the stress polygon plot and the calculations from Part 1 to answer the questions on
the page below. The answers will be posted after the due date. Numerical entry type
responses have only a range of acceptable values and are graded electronically, so please
adhere to the value of constants given here to prevent misgrading of your submissions.