Understanding the mechanisms that govern hydraulic fracturing applications in unconventional formations, such as gas-bearing shales, is of increasing interest to the petroleum upstream industry. Among such mechanisms, the geomechanical interactions between hydraulic fractures and pre-existing fractures on one hand, and simultaneous multiple hydraulic fractures on the other hand are seen of high importance. Although the petroleum engineering and related literature contains a number of studies that discusses such topics of hydraulic fracture interactions, there still remain some aspects that require answers, validations, or further supporting data. Particularly, experimental evidence is fairly scarce and keenly needed to solidify the understanding of such complex applications. In this work, the investigation methodology uses a series of hydraulic fracturing laboratory tests performed on synthetic rocks made of gypsum-based cements such as hydrostone and plaster in various experimental set ups. Those laboratory tests aim to closely investigate hydraulic fracture intersection with pre-existing fractures by assessing some factors that govern its outcomes. Specifically, the roles of the pre-existing fracture cementation, aperture, and relative height on the intersection mode are examined. The results show dominant effect of the cement-fill type relative to the host-rock matrix in determining whether hydraulic fracture crossing the pre-existing interface may occur. Similarly, hydraulic fracture height relative to the height of the pre-existing fracture may dictate the intersection results. However, the intersection mode seems to be insensitive of the pre-existing fracture aperture. Moreover, simultaneous multi-fracture propagation is examined and found to be impacted by the interference of the stresses induced from each fracturing source on neighboring fracturing sources. Such stress interference increases as the number of the propagating hydraulic fractures increase. While hydraulic fractures initiating from fracturing sources located in the middle of the fracturing stage seem to have inhibited propagation, outer hydraulic fractures may continue propagating with outward curvatures. Overall, the experimental results and analyses offer more insights for understanding hydraulic fracture complexity in unconventional formations. / text

[pt] Reservatórios carbonáticos respondem por mais de 50 por cento da produção mundial de hidrocarbonetos. No Brasil, ganharam mais importância com o descobrimento do Pré-Sal, em 2006. A principal ferramenta de previsão e gerenciamento de reservatórios é a simulação numérica que, tradicionalmente, tem na compressibilidade do poro o único parâmetro geomecânico. Normalmente é adotado apenas um valor, mantido constante, deste parâmetro para todo o reservatório. Porém, a rocha-reservatório sofre deformações durante a explotação do campo, as quais induzem redução da porosidade e permeabilidade. Enquanto o primeiro efeito não é bem representado pela compressibilidade, o segundo não sofre qualquer alteração. Além disso, cada fácies tem um comportamento tensão versus deformação diferente. Por isso a importância de se fazer modelagens acopladas de fluxo e geomecânica em que cada tipo de rocha é representado individualmente. Visando essas análises integradas, mas sem aumento do custo computacional, utiliza-se o pseudoacoplamento, o que permite que esses modelos sejam usados de forma rotineira pelos engenheiros de reservatórios. Esse tipo de acoplamento atualiza a porosidade e a permeabilidade com base em tabelas que relacionam poropressão com multiplicadores de porosidade e permeabilidade. Visando uma boa representação do comportamento da rocha-reservatório, as tabelas de pseudoacoplamento são elaboradas com base em ensaios mecânicos laboratoriais realizados com amostras do próprio campo, representativas de cada fácies. São realizadas análises comparativas utilizando modelos homogêneos e heterogêneos, variando o tipo de representação da geomecânica, que pode ser através da compressibilidade ou do pseudoacoplamento. Conhecidos os efeitos geomecânicos da compactação, a etapa final desta metodologia consiste no estudo de um modelo que visa atenuá-los. / [en] Carbonate reservoirs are responsible for over 50 per cent of world hydrocarbon production. In Brazil, they started to gain more importance after the Pre-Salt discovery, in 2006. The main method to predict and manage reservoirs is numerical simulation in which, traditionally, the only geomechanical parameter is the rock compressibility. Usually it is adopted one single value for the whole model, which is kept constant. During exploitation, though, the reservoir-rock deforms, causing porosity and permeability reduction. While the first effect is not well predicted by rock compressibility, the second is simply kept constant. Besides that, each facies has its own stress-strain behavior. That is why it is so important to model the reservoir flow coupled to geomechanics representing each rock type in a single layer. With the aim of obtaining these integrated analyses, but without additional computational cost, the pseudo-coupling is used, which lets such models to be ran on day-by-day basis by reservoir engineers. This kind of coupling updates both porosity and permeability based on tables that correlate porepressure and porosity and permeability multipliers. In order to have the mechanical behavior of the reservoir-rock well represented, the pseudo-coupling tables are elaborated based on laboratory mechanical tests with samples from the same field to be modeled. In this way, each facies represented on the model has its own table that takes to reservoir simulation the geomechanical effects through porosity and permeability variation. Comparative analyses are done using homogeneous and heterogeneous models, varying the type of geomechanical representation, through rock compressibility or pseudo-coupling. Once known the compaction geomechanical effects, it is simulated a model that tries to attenuate them.

Cette thèse étudie les contrôles des processus gravitaires transférant la production carbonatée des plateformes vers les bassins. Ces travaux consistent en 1) une synthèse géologique de la sédimentation gravitaire dans les systèmes carbonatés et une typologie des configurations favorables pour le transfert distal de la production grossière 2) une méthodologie de modélisation numérique innovante combinant la modélisation stratigraphique forward et le calcul de la stratigraphie mécanique. Elle évalue les mécanismes d’instabilités au cours de l’évolution d’un système. Ces travaux s’appuient sur deux cas d’analogues Plio-Quaternaire: La pente occidentale sous-le-vent du Great Bahama Bank (GBB) et le système d’Exuma Sound/San Salvador, qui constitue une voie exceptionnelle de transport distal de sables carbonatés vers la plaine abyssale. Une caractérisation commune des processus de transferts gravitaires a été établie pour ces deux zones. Des essais œdométriques et de cisaillement triaxial ont été conduits pour obtenir les paramètres géomécaniques des sédiments. La méthodologie de modélisation numérique a été appliquée à un transect 2D de la pente occidentale du GBB sur l’intervalle 1,7-0 Ma. Elle précise le mécanisme de progradation de la marge sous-le-vent, liée au développement de prismes marginaux cimentés de bas-niveaux. La modélisation de la stratigraphie mécanique souligne le contrôle des instabilités gravitaires par la géométrie des dépôts et les surpressions de fluides. Celles-ci se développent sous l’effet des charges piézométriques transitoires dans la plate-forme émergée, favorisant la déstabilisation de la marge de la plate-forme. / This PhD thesis focuses on the controls of the gravitational processes transferring the carbonate production of the platform towards the basins. This work consists in 1) a geological synthesis of the gravity-driven sedimentation in carbonate systems and a typology of favorable configurations for the distal transfer of coarse material 2) an innovative numerical modeling workflow combining the forward stratigraphic modeling and the computation of the mechanical stratigraphy. It estimates the instability mechanisms during the evolution of the system. This work is based on two Plio-Quaternary analog cases: The Great Bahama Bank (GBB) Western leeward slope and the Exuma Sound/San Salvador deep basin and major canyon system, which constitutes an exceptional conduit of distal transport of carbonate sands to the abyssal plain. A common characterization of gravitational transfer processes was established for these two zones. Oedometer and triaxial tests were conducted for the determination of geomechanical parameters of the sediments. The numerical modeling workflow was applied to a 2D transect of the western slope of the GBB over the 1.7-0 Ma interval. It precises the progradation mechanism of the leeward margin related to the development of marginal cemented lowstand wedges. The modeling of the mechanical stratigraphy underlines the control of the gravitational instabilities by the geometry of the platform and fluid overpressures. The latter develop under the effect of transient piezometric head in the emerged platform, promoting the destabilization of the platform margin.

Mud volcanoes constitute an important component of petroliferous basins and their understanding is essential for successful exploration and development of hydrocarbon fields. They occur in both extensional and compressive tectonic settings, along with passive and active continental margins. Although extensive research exists on the geochemistry, geomorphology and stratigraphic evolution of these localized fluid flow structures, little is known about their geomechanical characteristics. This research investigates the geomechanics of mud volcanoes from the South Caspian Basin and West Nile Delta. This is achieved by establishing a workflow for geomechanical assessment of mud volcanoes using a P-wave velocity dataset from across the mud volcano within the offshore South Caspian Basin. This objective is developed further with the availability of seismic and wellbore data from around the Giza mud volcano, offshore West Nile Delta. Preliminary results of this study from the South Caspian Basin enable confidence in estimating the realistic magnitudes of elastic rock properties, stresses and fluid pressures from empirical and analytical correlations. Moreover, analysis of the variations in fluid pressures allow the fluid flow models around the mud volcano to be constrained and their gradients provide preliminary estimates of the drilling window. Structural and stratigraphic analysis around the Giza mud volcano offers insight into the formation of the mud volcano during the Quaternary and how the fault networks on the hanging wall of the arcuate tectonic fault have acted as conduits for primarily the pre-Pliocene fluids exploiting the areas of weakness along the hanging wall of the fault by entraining the Pliocene sediments. Fluid pressure evaluation reveals small overpressures caused by disequilibrium compaction. Further analysis offers insight into the critical fluid pressures that control fault movement, the stresses responsible for rock deformation around the wellbore and the width of the drilling window constrained by the fracturing of the strata. Analysis presented here provides details on the geomechanical significance of mud volcano environments, with implications for engineering practices. Overall, findings contribute to a systematic understanding of mud volcano settings not only from a field exploration and development point of view, but also at a wider scale for basin analysis and relatively small scale for play analysis.

Les sols non saturés jouent un rôle important dans de nombreux domaines. En Génie Civil (stabilité des talus, fondations superficielles), en Ingénierie de l'environnement (transport de polluants par les eaux souterraines, enfouissement de déchets radioactifs), en Ingénierie des Réservoirs (subsidence suite aux pompages dans les champs pétroliers ou dans les nappes aquifères), etc. L'objet de la thèse est l'étude du comportement hydromécanique des sols fin non saturés, tels les limons et les argiles. Les phénomènes typiques du comportement de ces sols sont d'abord présentés avant d'aborder l'étude de leurs lois constitutives. Divers modèles sont passés en revue et un modèle unifié original est développé. Ensuite, une vaste gamme d'essais de laboratoire est analysée. Ils portent sur des sols saturés, quasi saturés et non saturés et concernent quatre matériaux: l'argile de Kruibeke, le limon de Gembloux, l'argile de Boom et la bentonite d'Almeria. Cette partie de la recherche conduit à une critique détaillée des procédures classiques d'essais de laboratoires sur les sols supposés saturés. Elle fournit également une base de données importante pour la calibration de la loi constitutive unifiée développée plus haut. Enfin, des simulations numériques, réalisées en aveugle, d'expériences n'ayant pas servi à la calibration permettent de valider ce modèle.

This thesis is dedicated to the study of structural and petroleum geology problems. To this purpose, a frictional elastoplastic law based on the Van Eekelen criterion is formulated, which avoids the classical drawbacks of the Drücker Prager criterion. Also, a 2D automatic adaptive re-meshing algorithm is developed for complex multidomains configurations, in order to overcome the limitation of the Lagrangian mesh. Details of the hydromechanical formulation implemented in the LAGAMINE FE code in a large strain context are presented. Application cases (reproduction of sandbox simulation, study of a hydrocarbon trap) concentrate on the study of the strain localisation and potential fracturation using different criteria. In the first case, re-meshing technique allowed to reproduce successfully analogue experiment of thrusting propagation. In the second case, a detailed study based on different initial conditions has brought new insight to the reactivated origin of some faults and has allowed to obtain information on the potential fracturing of the hydrocarbon reservoir unit. As an academic case, the study of anorthosite diapirism is carried out, which confirms the validity of the petrological model of diapirism. Eventually, the hydromechanical coupling effects between a layered porous medium and a fault are illustrated on a simple case.

This thesis presents the analysis of complex slope deformations through the application of numerical modelling techniques. Complex slope deformations, in this thesis, include cases where the use of more conventional analytical tools such as limit equilibrium techniques or the use of empirical criteria are not readily applicable. Such a scenario often results from adverse geological and environmental conditions or from human activity. Examples of complex slope deformations are the influence of underground mining on a slope, or situations where rigid jointed rocks overly relatively weak layers. The use of numerical modelling techniques, both continuum and discontinuum, in the analysis of slope stability problems has increased rapidly in the last decade and proved valuable in the analysis of complex geomechanical problems. Two numerical modeling programs FLAC (Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua) and UDEC (Universal Distinct Element Code) were used in this thesis. Three main groups of problems were investigated: (1) The analysis of deformation associated with rigid jointed rocks overlying relatively weak layers including a case study involving deformation taking place in the foundation of the Spis Castle in Slovakia. It was demonstrated that the type of deformation in such cases depends on the strength, deformability and thickness of the weak layer as well as the jointing pattern of the overlying rocks. It was shown, that the deformations at Spis castle are governed primarily by the presence of a weak, plastic "creep zone" under the base of the travertine blocks on which the castle is founded. (2) The analysis of toppling deformation in a weak rock slope comprising several lithostratigraphic units at the Luscar Mine, Alberta. It was found that the instability mechanism in the initial phase was flexural toppling, confined to a distinct quasi-linear failure surface which provided the shear plane for subsequent sliding movement. A prediction of slope stability for a planned mine extension in the same pit was made, thereby determining "safe excavation limits". (3) The analysis of interaction between underground mining and slope instability. The analyses of various slope deformation mechanisms that can be induced by underground mining are presented. The analysis of the Frank Slide in southwestern Alberta illustrated the critical role of underground mining at the base of the Turtle Mountain on triggering the final slope failure. The analyses present within this thesis demonstrate the application of numerical modelling techniques in the characterization of complex slope deformations. New interpretations of existing failure mechanisms were presented in the case of the Frank Slide, and improved understanding of the failure mechanism and slope deformation were gained in the Luscar Mine and Spis Castle case studies. Furthermore, hypothetical modelling studies relevant to underground mining and block-type deformations allow an increased understanding of complex slope deformations.

Improving methods of hydrocarbon production and developing new techniques for the creation of natural gas storage facilities are critically important for the petroleum industry. This dissertation focuses on two key topics: (1) mechanisms of sand production from petroleum reservoirs and (2) mechanical characterization of caverns created in carbonate rock formations for natural gas storage. Sand production is the migration of solid particles together with the hydrocarbons when extracted from petroleum reservoirs. It usually occurs from wells in sandstone formations that fail in response to stress changes caused by hydrocarbon withdrawal. Sand production is generally undesirable since it causes a variety of problems ranging from significant safety risks during high-rate gas production, to the erosion of downhole equipment and surface facilities. It is widely accepted that a better understanding of the mechanics of poorly-consolidated formations is required to manage sand production; which, in turn, enables the cost effective production of gas and oil resources. In this work, a series of large-scale laboratory experiments was conducted in fully saturated, cohesionless sand layers to model the behavior of a petroleum reservoir near a wellbore. We directly observed several key characteristics of the sand production phenomenon including the formations of a stable cavity around the wellbore and a sub-radial flow channel at the upper surface of the tested layer. The flow channel is a first-order feature that appears to be a major part of the sand production mechanism. The channel cross section is orders of magnitude larger than the particle size, and once formed, the channel becomes the dominant conduit for fluid flow and particle transport. The flow channel developed in all of our experiments, and in all experiments, sand production continued from the developing channel after the cavity around the borehole stabilized. Our laboratory results constitute a well constrained data set that can be used to test and calibrate numerical models employed by the petroleum industry for predicting the sand production phenomenon. Although important for practical applications, real field cases are typically much less constrained. We used scaling considerations to develop a simple analytical model, constrained by our experimental results. We also simulated the behavior of a sand layer around a wellbore using two- and three-dimensional discrete element methods. It appears that the main sand production features observed in the laboratory experiments, can indeed be reproduced by means of discrete element modeling. Numerical results indicate that the cavity surface of repose is a key factor in the sand production mechanism. In particular, the sand particles on this surface are not significantly constrained. This lack of confinement reduces the flow velocity required to remove a particle, by many orders of magnitude. Also, the mechanism of channel development in the upper fraction of the sample can be attributed to subsidence of the formation due to lateral extension when an unconstrained cavity slope appears near the wellbore. This is substantiated by the erosion process and continued production of particles from the flow channel. The notion of the existence of this surface channel has the potential to scale up to natural reservoirs and can give insights into real-world sand production issues. It indicates a mechanism explaining why the production of particles does not cease in many petroleum reservoirs. Although the radial character of the fluid flow eventually stops sand production from the cavity near the wellbore, the production of particles still may continue from the propagating surface (interface) flow channel. The second topic of the thesis addresses factors affecting the geometry and, hence, the mechanical stability of caverns excavated in carbonate rock formations for natural gas storage. Storage facilities are required to store gas when supply exceeds demand during the winter months. In many places (such as New England or the Great Lakes region) where no salt domes are available to create gas storage caverns, it is possible to create cavities in limestone employing the acid injection method. In this method, carbonate rock is dissolved, while CO₂ and calcium chloride brine appear as products of the carbonate dissolution reactions. Driven by the density difference, CO₂ rises towards the ceiling whereas the brine sinks to the bottom of the cavern. A zone of mixed CO₂ , acid, and brine forms near the source of acid injection, whereas the brine sinks to the bottom of the cavern. Characterization of the cavern shape is required to understand stress changes during the cavity excavation, which can destabilize the cavern. It is also important to determine the location of the mixture-brine interface to select the place of acid injection. In this work, we propose to characterize the geometry of the cavern and the location of the mixture-brine interface by generating pressure waves in a pipe extending into the cavern, and measuring the reflected waves at various locations in another adjacent pipe. Conventional governing equations describe fluid transients in pipes loaded only by internal pressure (such as in the water hammer effect). To model the pressure wave propagation for realistic geometries, we derived new governing equations for pressure transients in pipes subjected to changes in both internal and external (confining) pressures. This is important because the internal pressure (used in the measurement) is changing in response to the perturbation of the external pressure when the pipe is contained in the cavern filled with fluids. If the pressure in the cavern is perturbed, the perturbation creates an internal pressure wave in the submerged pipe that has a signature of the cavern geometry. We showed that the classic equations are included in our formulation as a particular case, but they have limited validity for some practically important combinations of the controlling parameters. We linearized the governing equations and formulated appropriate boundary and initial conditions. Using a finite element method, we solved the obtained boundary value problem for a system of pipes and a cavern filled with various characteristic fluids such as aqueous acid, calcium chloride brine, and supercritical CO₂ . We found that the pressure waves of moderate amplitudes would create measurable pressure pulses in the submerged pipe. Furthermore, we determined the wavelengths required for resolving the cavern diameter from the pressure history. Our results suggest that the pressure transients technique can indeed be used for characterizing the geometry of gas storage caverns and locations of fluid interfaces in the acid injection method.

The New Albany Shale is an Upper Devonian organic-rich gas shale located in the Illinois Basin. A factor influencing gas production from the shale is the natural fracture system. I test the hypothesis that a combination of outcrop and core observations, rock property tests, and geomechanical modeling can yield an accurate representation of essential natural fracture attributes that cannot be obtained from any of the methods alone. Field study shows that New Albany Shale outcrops contain barren (free of cement) joints, commonly oriented in orthogonal sets. The dominant set strikes NE-SW, with a secondary set oriented NNW-SSE. I conclude that the joints were likely created by near-surface processes, and thus are unreliable for use as analogs for fractures in the reservoir. However, the height, spacing, and abundance of the joints may still be useful as guides to the fracture stratigraphy of the New Albany Shale at depth. The Clegg Creek and Blocher members contain the highest fracture abundance. Fractures observed in four New Albany Shale cores are narrow, steeply-dipping, commonly completely sealed with calcite and are oriented ENE-WSW. The Clegg Creek and Blocher members contain the highest fracture abundance, which is consistent with outcrop observations. Fractures commonly split apart along the wall rock-cement interface, indicating they may be weak planes in the rock mass, making them susceptible to reactivation during hydraulic fracturing. Geomechanical testing of six core samples was performed to provide values of Young’s modulus, subcritical index, and fracture toughness as input parameters for a fracture growth simulator. Of these inputs, subcritical index is shown to be the most influential on the spatial organization of fractures. The models predict the Camp Run and Blocher members to have the most clustered fractures, the Selmier to have more evenly-spaced fractures, and the Morgan Trail and Clegg Creek to have a mixture of even spacing and clustering. The multi-faceted approach of field study, core work, and geomechanical modeling I used to address the problem of fracture characterization in the New Albany Shale was effective. Field study in the New Albany presents an opportunity to gather a large amount of data on the characteristics and spatial organization of fractures quickly and at relatively low cost, but with questionable reliability. Core study allows accurate observation of fracture attributes, but has limited coverage. Geomechanical modeling is a good tool for analysis of fracture patterns over a larger area than core, but results are difficult to corroborate and require input from outcrop and core studies. / text

Hydrocarbon production or injection of fluids in the reservoir can produce changes in the rock stresses and in-situ geomechanics, potentially leading to compaction and subsidence with harmful effects in wells, cap-rock, faults, and the surrounding environment as well. In order to tackle these changes and their impact, accurate simulations are essential. The Mortar Finite Element Method (MFEM) has been demonstrated to be a powerful technique in order to formulate a weak continuity condition at the interface of sub-domains in which different meshes, i.e. non-conforming or hybrid, and / or variational approximations are used. This is particularly suitable when coupling different physics on different domains, such as elasticity and poroelasticity, in the context of coupled flow and geomechanics. In this dissertation, popular Domain Decomposition Methods (DDM) are implemented in order to carry large simulations by taking full advantage of current parallel computer architectures. Different solution schemes can be defined depending upon the way information is exchanged between sub-domain interfaces. Three different schemes, i.e. Dirichlet-Neumann (DN), Neumann-Neumann (NN) and MFEM, are tested and the advantages and disadvantages of each of them are identified. As a first contribution, the MFEM is extended to deal with curve interfaces represented by Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS) curves and surfaces. The goal is to have a more robust geometrical representation for mortar spaces, which allows gluing non-conforming interfaces on realistic geometries. The resulting mortar saddle-point problem will be decoupled by means of the DN- and NN-DDM. Additionally, a reservoir geometry reconstruction procedure based on NURBS surfaces is presented as well. The technique builds a robust piecewise continuous geometrical representation that can be exploited by MFEM in order to tackle realistic problems, which is a second contribution. Tensor product meshes are usually propagated from the reservoir in a conforming way into its surroundings, which makes non-matching interfaces highly attractive in this case. In the context of reservoir compaction and subsidence estimation, it is common to deal with serial legacy codes for flow. Indeed, major reservoir simulators such as compositional codes lack parallelism. Another issue is the fact that, generally speaking, flow and mechanics domains are different. To overcome this limitation, a serial-parallel approach is proposed in order to couple serial flow codes with our parallel mechanics code by means of iterative coupling. Concrete results in loosely coupling are presented as a third contribution. As a final contribution, the DN-DDM is applied to couple elasticity and plasticity, which seems very promising in order to speed up computations involving poroplasticity. Several examples of coupling of elasticity, poroelasticity, and plasticity ranging from near-wellbore applications to field level subsidence computations help to show that the proposed methodology can handle problems of practical interest. In order to facilitate the implementation of complex workflows, an advanced Python wrapper interface that allows programming capabilities have been implemented. The proposed serial-parallel approach seems to be appropriate to handle geomechanical problems involving different meshes for flow and mechanics as well as coupling parallel mechanistic codes with legacy flow simulators. / text