Petroleum GeoscienceGeomechanics, Pore Pressure and Wellbore Stability
Stuck pipe, lost circulation and kicks cost the industry heavily, and many of them follow from an underestimated pore pressure or a misjudged stress field. Delegates begin with in situ stress, rock strength and elastic properties from logs and laboratory tests. The origins of overpressure, including undercompaction, fluid expansion and lateral transfer, are covered next, with prediction from seismic velocity, sonic and resistivity using the Eaton and Bowers methods. Fracture gradient, leak off test interpretation and wellbore failure modes lead into stability analysis and mud weight selection for vertical and deviated wells. The final sessions apply geomechanics to fault reactivation, reservoir compaction and caprock integrity. Delegates leave able to build a one dimensional mechanical earth model and support well planning with defensible pressure predictions.
Course objectives
- Estimate vertical stress, horizontal stresses and their orientation from well data
- Derive rock strength and elastic properties from logs and laboratory tests
- Explain the mechanisms that generate overpressure
- Predict pore pressure from seismic velocity, sonic and resistivity data
- Interpret leak off and extended leak off tests for fracture gradient
- Determine a safe mud weight window for vertical and deviated wells
- Build a one dimensional mechanical earth model
- Assess fault reactivation, compaction and caprock integrity risks
Who should attend
- Geomechanics and pore pressure specialists
- Well planning engineers
- Petrophysicists supporting drilling
- Operations geologists
- Reservoir engineers dealing with stress sensitive reservoirs
Course outline
- 01In situ stress and rock mechanics
- 02Elastic properties from logs and core
- 03Origins of overpressure
- 04Pore pressure prediction methods
- 05Fracture gradient and leak off tests
- 06Wellbore failure and stability analysis
- 07Mud weight window design
- 08Mechanical earth model construction
- 09Reservoir geomechanics and caprock integrity
Scheduled sessions
| Dates | Venue | Format | Price | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 to 23 October 2026 | Gaborone, Botswana | Classroom | R19,950 per delegate | |
| 2 to 6 November 2026 | Lagos, Nigeria | Classroom | USD 1,325 per delegate | |
| 1 to 5 February 2027 | Online | Online | R8,500 per delegate |
Geomechanics, Pore Pressure and Wellbore Stability
From R8,500