Pore Pressure, Fracture Pressure and Wellbore Stability Management Course
- Formation pressure prediction and evaluation is a safety critical task.
- Course provides fundamental skills for subsurface pressure prediction and evaluation.
- Designed for geologists, geophysicists, or engineers needing understanding of pressures.
- Gradual introduction to topics with exercises and case studies for better understanding.
- Instructor Tim Herrett is a subject matter expert with extensive industry experience.
Overview
The Pore Pressure, Fracture Pressure, and Wellbore Stability Management Course is designed for geologists, geophysicists, and engineers seeking to understand subsurface pressures and stresses. The course covers topics such as pressure calculations, geopressure origins, and wellbore instability analysis. Through exercises and case studies, participants will gain confidence in predicting pore pressures, interpreting leak-off tests, and managing wellbore stability. Instructor Tim Herrett, a subject matter expert, provides practical examples and industry insights to enhance learning. Customer feedback praises the course's organization, presentation quality, and knowledgeable instruction.
Who should attend
Geologist, Geophysicist, Engineer
Course Level: Skill / Advanced
Formation pressure prediction and evaluation is a safety critical task. This course provides you with the fundamental skills required for pre-well prediction and subsequent real-time evaluation of subsurface pressures (overburden, fracture and pore pressures) using a variety of direct and indirect methods. It will also introduce you to the basics of wellbore stability analysis and describe how recognition of the pore pressure generation method is so important for prediction and evaluation.
DESIGNED FOR YOU, IF YOU ARE…
• A geologist, geophysicist or engineer requiring a fundamental understanding of the principles and applications of pore and fracture pressure in addition to wellbore stability
• A wellsite or operations geologist wishing to advance your knowledge to an expert level
The course assumes some basic knowledge of operations or wellsite geology and good awareness of drilling operations.
HOW WE BUILD YOUR CONFIDENCE
You will be taken along a path which gradually introduces each topic and uses many exercises and case studies to illustrate the points made. The manual provides a good future reference for what has been taught on the course.
THE BENEFITS FROM ATTENDING
By the end of the course you will feel confident in your understanding of:
• The essential concepts of subsurface pressures and stresses and their interrelationships
• Pore fracture and overburden pressures and how to calculate them
• The origins of geopressures and how pressure regimes develop through time
• How geopressures affect the distribution and migration of hydrocarbons
• The centroid principle and pressure transfer
• How formation pressures will affect well planning and risk evaluation
• Subsurface stresses and associated wellbore instability
• Pore pressure prediction and real-time evaluation using trend analysis
• Fracture gradient evaluation and interpretation of leak-off tests and FITs
• How to distinguish causes of wellbore instability
• How hole conditions, shale caving and gas can be used in evaluations
• HTHP wells and their special risks and mitigations
TOPICS
• What are pore, fracture and overburden pressures?
• Fundamentals of pressure, definitions and standard equations
• Subsurface stresses and wellbore stability analysis
• Borehole breakout identification and analysis
• Overburden pressures and fracture pressures and how to calculate them
• The importance of leak-off tests and how to interpret them
• Role in well planning and casing placement
• ECD, ESD and other terminology
• Pore pressure generation mechanisms and controls on distribution
• Compactional mechanisms
• Fluid expansion mechanisms
• Centroid and pressure transfer
• Influence of structural and diapiric mechanisms
• Hydrocarbon buoyancy affects and calculating them
• Influence of generating mechanisms on evaluation
• Seals, cells and compartments; influence of cells
• Seal breach and seal capacities
• Hydrodynamics and tilted hydrocarbon contacts
• Curve trend analysis methods – background, development and use
• Influence of mechanism on analysis methods
• Normal compaction trends
• Sonic, resistivity, density – advantages and disadvantages
• Quantitative analysis methods, Ratio, Eaton and Equivalent Depth Methods
• Predictive methods, seismic methods, basin modelling
• Analysis methods on offset and analogue well data
• Combining predictions and managing uncertainty
• Direct pressure measurements, influxes, wireline and LWD methods
• Interpretation of LOTs, FITs and typical responses
• Mud losses, interpretation and management
• Indirect pressure measurements and their interpretation
• Drilling indicators, ROP and Dxc
• Shale characteristics
• Hole conditions, interpretation of adverse hole conditions
• Torque and drag, hole fill, cuttings and cavings
• Evaluation and monitoring techniques, description of cutting and caving styles
• Identifying mechanisms of wellbore instability and confusion with poor hole cleaning
• Gas relationships, gas event types and generation
• Geothermal gradients and temperature
• Pressure evaluation process review
• Software used for evaluation
• Good pressure evaluation practices, post well evaluation and archiving
• Overview of HTHP wells and their challenges
CUSTOMER FEEDBACK
“One of the best courses I have attended, very good organisation, great instructor.” – Petrophysicist at Wintershall
“Very good quality presentation material, Tim has definitely worked hard to make the graphs and cartoons simple, clear and appealing.” – Head Subsurface Planning at RasGas
“Practical real world examples, well illustrated and very well delivered by a very knowledgable expert” – Consultant Geologist at RPS ENERGY
INSTRUCTOR:-
Tim Herrett holds a B.Sc. (honours) in Geology from Portsmouth University, UK and is a chartered geologist with the Geological Society of London. Starting in the industry as a mudlogger in 1978 he subsequently worked as a pore pressure engineer, wellsite geologist and then operations/project geologist. He is considered a subject matter expert in these roles as well as formation pressure evaluation and HTHP wells having worked as a contractor for extended periods with ExxonMobil and BP as well as many other companies. He designed and developed software for wellsite and office use which are now commercially used in the industry. He was founder and technical director of Cambrian Consultants with responsibilities for training, computing and software products.
Tim is the author and presenter of well-received industry training courses worldwide. All his courses have been peer-reviewed and accredited by the Geological Society of London. Tim currently provides training courses for HOT, lectures part-time on two M.Sc. courses at the universities of Manchester and Derby and performs independent pressure studies for various oil companies. Over the last 6 years he has co-written and is lead facilitator/trainer on BP’s Accelerated Development Programme for Operations Geology.
The courses he presents are based on years of experience and practical knowledge which are used to enhance the learning experience. Tim was chairman of the convening committee for the Operations Geology Conference held in London in November 2016. He created, distributed and presented the results of a survey of operations geologists at this conference.
