Evolution of Wellbore Strain in Horizontal Wells for Production Evaluation

TitleEvolution of Wellbore Strain in Horizontal Wells for Production Evaluation
Publication TypeConference Paper
Year of Publication2023
AuthorsOu, Y., M. M. Sharma, and S. Zheng
Conference Name57th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium
Date Published06/2023
PublisherAmerican Rock Mechanics Association
Conference LocationAtlanta, Georgia, USA, 25-28 June 2023
Other NumbersARMA 23–497
Abstract

The azimuthally resolved wellbore strain tensor provides a direct measure of the wellbore locations that are depleted due to production. As pore pressure decreases due to production, the stress field around borehole changes resulting in casing deformation which can be measured by field-scale downhole tools with high azimuthal resolution. It is shown that the shape of the wellbore is different in producing sections/clusters and non-producing sections/clusters along the well. A pad-scale geomechanically fracturing-flow simulator is used to perform life-cycle simulation of a horizontal well, from dynamic fracture propagation to long term pressure depletion. High levels of mesh refinement are used to obtain very fine meshes in the near wellbore region to simulate the deformation of the rock and the casing along the wellbore. Axial and radial strain is obtained as a function of space and time. The results show: a) the total stress around the casing is larger than the wellbore pressure, which leads to compressive deformation of the casing. The magnitude of the casing deformation is different along and around the casing due to the non-uniform pore pressure distribution; b) producing sections/clusters of the wellbore deform less but show larger ellipticity; c) the precision and resolution needed in the deformation measurements can be achieved by current downhole tools; d) bending deformation can occur due to non- symmetric fracture geometry or pressure depletion. Measurement of the ellipticity of the borehole as a function of measured depth should allow us to identify sections of the wellbore that are depleted (producing fluid) and sections that are not.