Development of a cloud-based web-app for wellbore stability analysis

Wellbore instability issues account for $8 Billion/year costs during drilling hydrocarbon wells and a significant number of delays and safety concerns during operations. While wellbore stability analysis is fundamental to minimize those incidents, most software tools designed for that purpose are in the hands of a few service companies at a very high cost. Furthermore, those tools rely on one-dimensional analysis and analytical solutions or legacy three- dimensional finite element analysis software, which can be expensive to develop and maintain. Due to these facts, new research and development on wellbore stability analysis may never be deployed commercially. To address these gaps, this project will develop a cloud-based web application to provide practitioners broad access to state-of-the-art wellbore stability analysis technology. To accomplish this goal in a cost-effective manner, open-source tools for numerical and visualization analysis will be used. The finite element method, along with advanced gridding, will be used to accurately model the wellbore and compute the stresses on the cavity walls. Well-known criteria for rock failure will be implemented to identify problematic regions and estimate safe drilling mud weight windows. During phase I of this project, finite element formulations will be implemented to solve the thermo-poro-elastic equations, considering realistic boundary conditions and material properties. Gridding methods will be developed to capture complex wellbore geometries and heterogeneous material properties and implement the most used failure criteria to assess the wellbore stability conditions. Finally, a user-friendly web app will be developed to provide an integrated analysis environment. This project will create a web application for wellbore stability analysis, an area where the current offerings are very limited and expensive. This new product is expected to facilitate access to new technologies in this area to a wide audience of users from operating, service, and consultant companies thanks to the use of advanced open-source technology which allows for rapid and cost-effective development.