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Maurice B. Dusseault
University of Waterloo and Geomec a.s.
Stress Trajectories
sv stress trajectories are
lines which represent
the “flow” of stresses
sHMAX through the solid body
High sq
High shear stresses cause shear
yield, destroying cohesion
(cementation), weakening the rock
Low sq
Shear yield
Tensile yield
Borehole Stability and Rock Failure
The rock can yield somewhat around a borehole
but drilling can continue. Why?
The yield process relieves high stresses, so
the yield zone stops propagating
If we can still trip and drill ahead, the
borehole fulfils its function: it has not “failed”
But, the rock around the borehole has yielded
and lost its cohesive strength
This distinction is very important:
Rock yield does not mean borehole loss
Mud support pressure can sustain the hole, even if
the hole is surrounded by yielded (fragmented) rock
Cat-Scan of Hole Yield
This is a tomographic
Equal far-field stresses - sh reconstruction of a
hollow cylinder test
Intact portion The dark lines are
higher-porosity shear
bands around the hole
The central part of
the hole is filled with
spalled rubble
Sheared region This is evidence of
typical borehole yield
in a symmetrical
stress field
Are Breakouts Serious?
Breakouts are evidence that there is a
stress difference in the plane normal
to the hole. They also indicate that
the rock in the breakout area has
sMAX surpassed its strength. However, they
are not a sign of impending full
collapse unless they grow in an
uncontrolled manner.
gage = ri Washouts,
Stresses
“flow” gage no strong
shmin
around orientation
borehole
sHMAX
Borehole Wall Features & Failure
0 90 180 270 360
Axial fractures (high axial fractures
MW) are not rock
failure and deterioration
breakouts
Breakouts are evidence
of rock shear failure
Large washouts as well,
leading to problems…
Natural fractures are washout
not usually a problem,
except if they are high-
angle and can slip
This case is more
common than thought
Natural fracture traces
Sandstone Mudcake, p Support
pressure
Excellent support pw
MW
po
mudcake
sandstone
limited solids
invasion depth
Filter Cake in Sandstones
sHMAX
Filter cake is made of
clays, polymers, etc.
po
Very low permeability
shmin
Filter cake
Sand k is much larger
than cake k…
Allowing the pressure
pw difference to give a
direct support stress
Damaged rock held Therefore: sands almost
in place by +ve never slough, but:
mud support
Differential sticking is
an issue in sandstones
The positive support pressure in a
sandstone is usually close to pw – po
because permeability is high
Shale Mudcake, p Support
pressure
MW pw
p(r), steady-state, @ t = ∞
now, no more mud-cake effect!
mudcake? shale
This is a time-dependent process
po
B(damaged borehole)
po
formation pressure
pressure gradient
drops with time
borehole
distance (r)
shale low permeability shale, no mudcake
sq
normal
stress
sr sq sq + sq
sq]max
sq (r) for cooling
D
High sq near the hole
expanding
“rocks”
Thermal Stresses Around Boreholes
Heat transfer: conductive or convective
Conductive: low permeability rock – shale, salt
Convective: high permeability rocks – sandstone
Initial sh
Kirsch elastic solution
Yield solution A
Yield solution B radius
Rock Yield and Borehole Stresses
When rock yields, it loses some of its load
carrying capacity, thus “shedding” stress
This stress is pushed out into the rock
mass, and may cause adjacent rock to fail
This reduces the magnitude of the hoop
stresses around the hole
Therefore, yield is evidence of the rock
trying to find a stable equilibrium
If the damaged (weakened) rock can be
held in place, the hole becomes stable
If not, sloughing occurs & yield propagates
Drilling-Induced Fractures
σhmin
Induced Axial Fractures
Near the borehole, yield causes a reduction
in the hoop stress, sq
The MW may exceed sq near the wall
When this happens, a short hydraulic
fracture opens up, but it terminates
against the zone of higher sq
This can be exacerbated by high surges,
high ECD, etc.
If this is significant, it leads to
“ballooning” or “breathing” of the well
Borehole Shear Displacement
Vincent Maury (1987, Elf-Aquitaine)
High angle faults, fractures can slip and
cause pipe pinching
Near-slipearth stresses condition
High MW causes pw charging sn pw
Reduction in sn leads to slip
BHA gets stuck on trip out