Examination arrangement

Course content

The course consists of two parts, one flow part (50%) and one rock mechanics part (50%). The flow part deals with porous media characteristics: Porosity, permeability, flow equations for single- and multi-phase flow, capillary pressure, relative permeability and applications in earth sciences and petroleum engineering. The rock mechanic part deals with tensions and pore pressure in the earth crusts, tectonic tensions, normal and abnormal pore pressures, tension determination, rock mechanic field and laboratory experiments, mechanical properties of rocks, tensions close to wells and subsurface holes. Other topics are: Stability of wells during drilling, sand/particle production, hydraulic fracturing, reservoir compaction and surface setting, significance of rock mechanics in reservoir control and use of rock mechanics in relation to rock installations.

Learning outcome

Ingress:
The subject should give basic knowledge about flow in porous media related to reservoir engineering and hydrogeological applications, and basic understanding of geomechanics and its importance in mining operations, tunnel contructions and exploitation of petroleum resources.

Knowledge:
From the part of the course presenting flow in porous media the students should understand all important rock and fluid parameters in a reservoir and their significance for the fluid distribution and fluid flow in porous media.
From the land based geomechanics part of the course the students should understand stability of tunnels, underground caverns and land slopes.
From the petroleum geomechanics part of the course the students should obtain :
- Understanding of tension and pore pressure in the earth crust.
- Basic understanding of poro elasticity theory, the principle of effecive tension, and fracturing mechanisms in rocks.
- Knowledge of the most important geomechanical parameters and how these can be determined from measurements in the laboratory and in the field.

Skills:
From the flow in porous media part of the course the students should be capable of performing simple calculations of fluid distribution and fluid transport in porous media. From the geomechanics part of the course the students should be able to apply geomechanics to perform simple calculations related to installations in rocks and to petroleum exploitation.

Learning methods and activities

Lectures and exercises. The course will be evaluated by the students via a reference group.

Compulsory assignments

• Exercises

Further on evaluation

If there is a re-sit examination, the form of assessment may be changed from written to oral examination.

Specific conditions

Recommended previous knowledge

None.

Course materials

A.B. Zolotukhin and Jann-Rune Ursin: "Introduction to Petroleum Reservoir Engineering", Høgskoleforlaget, 2000. Distributed lecture notes.