Reservoir Storage and Production (GEO507)

Determination of elastic and strength properties of rocks, fluid-rock interactions, variation of in-situ stress and likelihood of failure in different geological formations are an essential part of any reservoir management, production and IOR / EOR studies. In this course, we start everything by introducing the fundamental concepts of geomechanics (theories of elasticity/plasticity, failure mechanisms, and fluid flow in porous media) and show their applications to different areas of subsurface engineering. This will be followed by introducing the concept of hydraulic fractures, as one of the major enhanced production techniques in unconventional reservoirs and engineered geothermal systems, where fracture design improves hydrocarbon recovery and heat production from hot dry rocks in different subsurface conditions. Immiscible and low salinity water flooding as two important approaches of EOR which are linked to geothermal reservoirs and CO2 geo-sequestration technique will be covered in the next section where the concept behind the interaction of CO2 and brine with hydrocarbon-rock systems will be discussed in detail. The final part of the course gives in-depth insight into the mechanism of CO2 storage in different geological sites (depleted reservoirs, aquifers, and coal beds), where the interactions of CO2 with the rocks and subsequent challenges such as compaction, fault leakage and caprock integrity are discussed.

Knowledge:

After taking the course, students should understand:

• the importance of physical and chemical characteristics of rocks,
• the best methods to determine rock properties in laboratory and field scales,
• how hydraulic fractures can be designed and created,
• the role of fluid selection to enhance oil recovery, and
• the concept of Carbon Capture and Storage in geological sites.

Skills:

After taking the course, students should be able to:

• determine geomechanical parameters in laboratory or field scales,
• estimate in-situ and effective stresses during production or injection,
• design fractures to improve production from hydrocarbon and geothermal reservoirs,
• evaluate, design, and implement carbon storage in different geological sites, and
• use software to analyse different reservoirs for production enhancement or storage.

General Competence:

After taking the course, students should:

• be comfortable in working in a multidisciplinary environment,
• be able to contribute into effective production and management of resources,
• be able to analyze, and report their strategy for carbon storage, and
• be able to use industrial software to implement their strategies.

Ingen

Fagperson(er)

Course teacher:

Skule Strand

Head of Department:

Alejandro Escalona Varela

Study Adviser:

Karina Sanni

Study Program Director:

Lisa Jean Watson

Course coordinator:

Raoof Gholami

Lectures, problem-solving, modelling and laboratory work. Individual and group work

This course will include digital teaching methods:

• • pre-recorded videos in place of lectures
  • online meetings

This course will also have physical only meetings.

The student is responsible for checking the course syllabus and class meeting information provided by the instructor in Canvas.

Admission to Single Courses at the Faculty of Science and Technology

Exchange programme at Faculty of Science and Technology

There must be an early dialogue between the course supervisor, the student union representative and the students. The purpose is feedback from the students for changes and adjustments in the course for the current semester.In addition, a digital course evaluation must be carried out at least every three years. Its purpose is to gather the students experiences with the course.

The course description is retrieved from FS (Felles studentsystem). Version 1