PhD:Compaction of unconsolidated or weakly consolidated reservoir rocks

Compaction of unconsolidated or weakly consolidated reservoir rocks.

Impacts on transport properties.
in IFP, France

Performance of reservoirs and wells in unconsolidated formations involve many challenges from the point of view of hydromechanical properties. Indeed, the significative deformations that theses unconsolidated reservoirs undergo during production, mainly because of fluid pressure changes, have an important impact on the performance of the wells but also lead to strong modifications of the flow properties at the scale of the whole reservoir. In this thesis, we will focus on the evolution of directional permeabilities with deformation on granular rocks with little or no consolidation, tested in the different deformation regimes. Computed MicroTomography could also be used to visualize the three-dimensional morphology of grains, pores and intergranular contacts in the studied rocks, in order to characterize the damage of the core samples submitted to triaxial tests. In addition, an acoustic emission set-up could allow to relocate at the core scale the damage created during compaction, which could help to correlate the macroscopic evolution of transport properties to the microstructural modifications.
Contact: Nicolas.GLAND@ifp.fr