PGE 334 - Reservoir Geomechanics

Instructor: John T. Foster, Ph.D.
Office: PGE 3.108
Phone: 512-471-6972
Email:

Class (Lecture) Location: CPE 2.204
Class (Lecture) Time: MWF 12:00 - 1:00 PM
Office Hours: F 9:00-10:30 and by appointment (see Calendar)

Laboratory Location: CPE 1.168
Laboratory Times:

Unique # Day Time
18405 Monday 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
18410 Tuesday 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
18415 Wednesday 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
18420 Wednesday 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
18425 Wednesday 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM


Teaching Assistants:

TBD


Course Website: https://utexas.instructure.com/courses/1219614

Course Description: Basic stress and strain analysis; pore pressure and in situ stress estimation and measurement; deformation mechanisms in rock; rock fracture description and analysis; wellbore stresses and failure; wellbore stability analysis; fault stability analysis; depletion-induced reservoir deformation; and hydraulic fracturing. Emphasis on applications to petroleum engineering.

Prerequisites: Engineering Mechanics 319 and Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering 301 with a grade of at least C- in each.

Required Text:

  1. . Reservoir Geomechanics. Zoback. 2007.

Additional References:

  1. Fundamentals of Rock Mechanics. Jaeger, Cook, and Zimmerman. 2007.

Grading Policy:

  • Midterm Exam 1: 20%

  • Midterm Exam 2: 20%

  • Final Exam: 20%

  • Homeworks, quizzes, lab reports, and computer projects: 40%

  • The following grading rubric will be used to calculate letter grades from the final numerical course grade

    Range Letter
    > 90 A
    89 to < 90.0 A-
    86 to < 89 B+
    80 to < 86 B
    79 to < 80 B-
    76 to < 79 C+
    70 to < 76 C
    69 to < 70 C-
    66 to < 69 D+
    60 to < 66 D
    59 to < 60 D-
    < 59 F


    I reserve the right to curve, but I will only do so in a way that shifts these ranges down. In other words, these letter grades are the lowest you could receive if your final numerical grade falls in these ranges, any curve will only work to improve your letter grade.

Outline

Below is a general outline of what I intend to cover in the course. This is subject to change based on the needs and preparation of the students in the class. Any updates will be posted as they occur.

Week Topic Notes
Jan. 17, 19 structural geology, fault classification
Jan. 22, 24, 26 tectonic stress, stress tensor
Jan. 29, 31, Feb. 2 principle stresses, pore pressure
Feb. 5, 7, 9 stress resolution
Feb. 12, 14, 16 constitutive laws
Feb. 19, 21, 23 Midterm Exam 1, Feb. 19, constitutive laws
Feb. 26, 28, Mar. 2 rock failure
Mar. 5, 7, 9 rock failure
Mar. 12, 14, 16 Spring Break
Mar. 19, 21, 23 wellbore failure, stability, design
Mar. 26, 28, 30 Midterm Exam 2, reservoir depletion
Apr. 2, 4, 6 reservoir depletion
Apr. 9, 11, 13 induced seismicity
Apr. 16, 18, 19 hydraulic fracturing
Apr. 23, 25, 27 hydraulic fracturing
May 30, 2, 4 hydraulic fracturing
May. 15 Final Exam 9:00 - 12:00 AM


Lab Schedule

Title Week
Experiment 1 February 12-16
Experiment 2 February 26 - March 2
Experiment 3 March 19 - 23
Experiment 4 April 5 - 9


Disability Statement: The University of Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 512-471-6259 or see https://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/ for more information.