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Unconventional gas plays in Western Canada have been attracting a lot of investor and operator interest in the recent past. Unlocking these vast tight resources requires a mix of new evaluation, drilling and stimulation technologies where rock mechanics plays an integral, if not dominant role in some cases. Advanced Geotechnology has long been close to shale issues related to wellbore stability and hydraulic fracturing, and this same expertise is now being applied to shale gas reservoirs. For example, we are presently undertaking a project for one operator to interpret microseismic data collected in multi-zone  Montney well stimulations, with a goal of determining the effects of  natural fractures and in-situ stress in the setting. Recently we completed an investigation of  the elastic properties of Montney and other gas shales and siltstones based on their dynamic log response using classic lambda-rho and other petrophysical analyses techniques and novel, small sample, static laboratory tests. In another location we are assessing the long-term feasibility of horizontal openhole completions in a Montney interval, in light of several recent hole collapse events. For several other operators we have assessed the feasibility of using underbalanced or managed pressure drilling technologies (UBD/MPD) in the Montney. If you would like to discuss what Advanced Geotechnology can bring to your exploration and production team for gas shales, do not hesitate to contact Pat McLellan, AG principal consultant at mclellan@advgeotech.com or 403.693.7531.

Caprock integrity risks need to be assessed in the planning and operation of thermal recovery projects such as cyclic steam stimulation (CSS), steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD), steam flooding and in-situ combustion. Over the past few decades in Alberta a number of steam release incidents have occurred where the primary mechanism involves the migration of steam or fluids along existing discontinuities in the caprock, or along, or adjacent to wellbores that penetrate it. An integrated risk management workflow, incorporating geological, geophysical, geomechanical, reservoir and well construction data, has been developed by Advanced Geotechnology to evaluate the potential for various caprock leakage mechanisms, and to aid in the selection of operating procedures and monitoring techniques to mitigate these risks. To see Pat McLellan’s recent presentation “Caprock Integrity: What you Need to Know for Thermal Recovery Projects” at a Canadian Heavy Oil Association/Petroleum Society technical meeting in Calgary, please visit the publications section of our website to sign up to download this talk. Contact us at 403.693.7531 if you wish to discuss how our risk evaluation process can assist your project team.

The latest release of STABView, our flagship software product, is now available to licensed customers.  We have added many new features and capabilities including:  3D wellbore visualization; yielded zone cross-sections for multiple failure models; an improved safe "mud weight window" display; tornado sensitivity plots; and several new sample cases.  The STABView manual has also been upgraded and enhanced with many useful examples and explanations.  For more  information on these new features and other STABView capabilities click here. To request a demonstration of STABView, in person or over the internet via WebEx, please email us at software@advgeotech.com or call 1.403.693.7530

ROCKSBank is a worldwide rock mechanical and petrophysical properties database originally developed by Advanced Geotechnology in a joint-industry project. Our latest release of the software in January, 2008 has data on over 3600 samples including: sandstones (25%), shales, siltstones and mudrocks (31%), coal (25%), oil sands (5%) and carbonates (11%). ROCKSBank can be used for a wide variety of geomechanical, geophysical and reservoir engineering applications in the E & P business. Click here for more details.