Method: In this paper, the shallow formation around the borehole is divided into plastic zone and elastic zone considering it under nonuniform in-situ stress. The collapse pressure formula of shallow formation is derived by taking the shrinkage rate of the borehole as the instability criterion. The fracturing pressure calculation model of shallow sediment under non-uniform in-situ stress is der...

Optimization of drilling fluid parameters such as mud weight, salt concentration, and temperature is essential to alleviate instability problems during drilling through shale sections. The selection of suitable mud parameters can benefit from analyses that consider significant instability processes involved in shale-drilling–fluid interactions. This paper describes the development of analytical...

This paper presents main results of a shale stability study, related to the understanding of shale/ fluid interaction mechanisms, and discusses shale strength correlation. The major shale/ fluid interaction mechanisms: Capillary, osmosis, hydraulic, swelling and pressure diffusion, and recent experimental results are discussed. Factors affecting the shale strength are discussed, and a sonic com...

The high temperatures existing within a geothermal well preclude the use of most logging instrumentation which is necessary to study the wellbore and surrounding rock matrix. Possible solutions to this problem include cooling the wellbore and the surrounding rock by circulating fluid in the wellbore and by injecting fluid directly into the rock matrix. The latter method, however, is not preferr...

The relationship between production rates of large diameter geothermal production wells, and slimholes, is studied. The analysis is based on wells completed in liquid-dominated geothermal fields, where flashing occurs either in the wellbore or at the surface. Effects of drawdown in the reservoir, and pressure drop in the wellbore, are included; heat losses from the wellbore to the formation are...

Sand production is a universally encountered issue during the exploration of unconsolidated sandstone reservoirs particularly during production. The production of sand particles with the reservoir fluids depends on the stress around a wellbore and the properties of the reservoir rocks and fluids. Therefore, it is crucial to predict under what production conditions sanding will occur and when sa...

Most salt rock has interbed of mudstone in China. Owing to the enormous difference of mechanical properties between the mudstone interbed and salt rock, the stress-strain and creep behaviors of salt rock are significantly influenced by neighboring mudstone interbed. In order to identify the rules of wellbore shrinkage and casings equivalent stress in bedded salt rock stratum, three-dimensional ...

Wellbore cement, a procedural component of wellbore completion operations, primarily provides zonal isolation and mechanical support of the metal pipe (casing), and protects metal components from corrosive fluids. These are essential for uncompromised wellbore integrity. Cements can undergo multiple forms of failure, such as debonding at the cement/rock and cement/metal interfaces, fracturing, ...

Previously published field investigations and modeling studies have demonstrated the potential for sample bias associated with vertical wellbore flow in conventional monitoring wells constructed with long-screened intervals. This article builds on the existing body of literature by (1) demonstrating the utility of continuous (i.e., hourly measurements for ∼1 month) ambient wellbore flow monitor...