Page 2 - Reservoir Geomechanics

Reservoir Geomechanics

This interdisciplinary book encompasses the fields of rock mechanics, structural geo-
logy, and petroleum engineering to address a wide range of geomechanical problems
that arise during the exploitation of oil and gas reservoirs.
Covering the exploration, assessment, and production phases of petroleum reservoir
development, the book considers key practical issues such as prediction of pore pres-
sure; estimation of hydrocarbon column heights and fault seal potential; determination
of optimally stable well trajectories; casing set points and mud weights; changes in
reservoir performance during depletion; and production-induced faulting and subsi-
dence. The first part of the book establishes the basic principles of geomechanics in
away that allows readers from different disciplinary backgrounds to understand the
key concepts. It then goes on to introduce practical measurement and experimental
techniques before illustrating their successful application, through case studies taken
from oil and gas fields around the world, to improve recovery and reduce exploitation
costs.
Reservoir Geomechanics is a practical reference for geoscientists and engineers in
the petroleum and geothermal industries, and for research scientists interested in stress
measurements and their application to problems of faulting and fluid flow in the crust.

Mark D. Zoback is Benjamin M. Page Professor of Earth Sciences and Professor of Geo-
physics in the Department of Geophysics at Stanford University. He is the author or
co-author of approximately 250 published research papers, primarily on the state of
stress in the earth’s crust and geomechanics. He is a Fellow of the Geological Soci-
ety of America, the American Geophysical Union, the American Association for the
Advancement of Science and the European Union of Geosciences, and the winner of
the 2006 Emil Wiechert Medal from the German Geophysical Society.