Geomechanics and geophysics

Services for the industry include

• Geomechanical and rock physics laboratory testing and characterization
  Standard and specialized laboratory testing for integrated geomechanical and rock physics behavior and integration with logs, seismic, and field stress data.
• Compaction and subsidence analysis
  2D and 3D geomechanical modeling of reservoir compaction and seafloor subsidence. The modeling service can be combined with field scale monitoring (i.e., 4D seismic, surface subsidence measurements), local models for wellbore stability or fault stability, and subsea geohazard for slope stability of subsea infrastructure.
• Thermo Hydro Mechanical (THM) models
  for thermal stability issues.
• Wellbore stability analysis
  Detailed analysis of wells, including casing integrity, advanced material models, and consideration of realistic formation behavior (e.g., plasticity, anisotropy, time-dependent thermal and hydraulic behavior, creep).
• Caprock integrity and fault stability
  Screening studies based on the in-house tool FracStress and detailed 2D/3D faults and fracture propagation analysis.
• Risk analysis
  workflow for probabilistic analysis, and risk.
• Modelling, inversion, and interpretation of geophysical field data
  (seismic, electromagnetism (EM), gravitation, surface/guided waves, etc.).
• Seismic-based ground models
  streamlined workflow for populating geotechnical and geomechanical parameters from seismic data 2D/3D, targeting both shallow geotechnical, deep reservoir, and field scale characterization.
• Monitoring through integrating geophysics and geomechanics
  inversion methods for estimating reservoir compaction from seafloor subsidence monitoring systems, dynamic to static conversion for seismic to geomechanics and vice versa, S-wave extraction for geomechanical and geotechnical application, geomechanics analysis related to 4D seismic interpretation.

Experience with fields under development and operation

NGI has gained experience in geomechanical and geophysical aspects of petroleum reservoirs worldwide. Below is a list of regions/projects in which NGI has been involved.

• Norway: North Sea, Norwegian Sea, and Barents Sea, ranging from shallow (200-500m) to deep high-pressure high temperature (HPHT) reservoirs (3-5km).
• Netherlands: Offshore and onshore chalk fields.
• Brazil: Offshore and onshore fields, seafloor subsidence from reservoir compaction.
• Tanzania: Seafloor subsidence, slope stability from reservoir compaction, and wellbore stability in deep water.
• US Gulf of Mexico: HPHT field.
• Switzerland: Radioactive waste repositories.

Key competence, testing, and research facilities

• NGI utilizes commercial and in-house software for geomechanical analyses (including Plaxis, Abaqus, Comsol, etc.).
• NGI has a world-leading laboratory for standard geomechanical characterization and research facilities for specialized rock physics and fracture mechanics testing. NGI's laboratory offers streamlined set-ups for velocity and resistivity measurements (axial and radial anisotropy), acoustic emissions, and a CT scanner for visualizing deformation and flow under experimental conditions, which can be combined with geomechanical parameters for defining rock physics relationships and correlations between geomechanical and geophysical parameters.
• Throughout the research and consulting projects, NGI has gained in-depth competence in advanced material and rock physics behavior of Sandstones, Shales, Chalks, and RockSalt (investigating mechanisms such as pore collapse, biot's coefficient, creep in shale, chalk, and salt).
• NGI is closely linked with the University of Oslo in Rock Physics and Structure Geology, with two joint positions, and an exchange of MSc, Ph.D., and Post Docs working at the NGI laboratory.