Geo-mechanics and Fractured Reservoirs Event

Gary Couples, a professor of geo-mechanics at Heriot Watt’s Institute of Petroleum Engineering and a renowned expert in the field, will address the industry representatives at an event organized and hosted by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Aberdeen Section in Edinburgh next week.

Prof. Couples’s presentation is entitled ‘Geo-mechanics and Fractured Reservoirs: comforting, confusing or scary?’ and it is aimed to discuss the characteristics of fractured reservoirs at both ends of the spectrum: from those with predictable results, which can be used to make informed predictions, through to reservoirs displaying ‘unreasonable’ behavior.

Talking ahead of his presentation, Prof. Couples, an SPE Distinguished Lecturer, said, “Fractured reservoirs are known to exhibit changes in their characteristics during the production life cycle. Attempts to explain this behavior using simple rules are not usually successful because those rules are based on assumptions that are not physically possible.

“To effectively assess and explain these changes, technical professionals working in reservoir management must abandon the notion that geo-mechanical processes are governed by a constant or deterministic state of stress.

“By gaining an understanding of the interactions that occur in fractured reservoirs, we can protect ourselves from the fear of the unknown and may be able to use this knowledge for effective reservoir planning.”

The Chairman of the SPE Aberdeen Section, Anthony Onukwu, said, “Prof. Couples’s presentation is an event that can’t be missed by geophysicists and reservoir engineers. He will provide the participants with a fresh perspective on geo-mechanics and I encourage all those who wish to further their knowledge on the topic to attend his presentation.”

The free event will take place from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on February 5 at the Postgraduate Center at Heriot Watt University.

spe-uk.org