SC-01 Geophysics Under Stress: Geomechanical Applications of Seismic and Borehole Acoustic Waves (SEG)
Saturday, 7 June – Sunday, 8 June 2025, 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. | Houston, Texas
Who Should Attend
The integrated nature of this two-day course means that it is suitable for individuals from all subsurface disciplines including geophysics, geomechanics, rock physics, petrophysics, geology, geomodeling, and drilling, reservoir, and petroleum engineering. The course will provide an overview of the basic concepts and applications. The course presentation does not require a theoretical background and can be attended by a broad section of working geoscientists and engineers interested in applying geophysical data to the solution of geomechanical problems.
Course Content
The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of the sensitivity of elastic waves in the earth to the in-situ stress, pore pressure, and anisotropy of the rock fabric resulting from the depositional and stress history of the rock, and to introduce some of the applications of this sensitivity. The course will provide the basis for applying geophysics and rock physics solutions to geomechanical challenges in exploration, drilling, and production. A variety of applications and real data examples will be presented. Emphasis will be placed on the rock physics basis underlying the use of geophysical data for solving geomechanical problems. Integration of seismic inversion with well data to predict pore pressure, in-situ stress, and fracture gradient in unconventional reservoirs will be illustrated using examples from North America and the Middle East.
Learners will be able to:
- Describe the importance of pore pressure, in situ stress, and geomechanical properties for geophysical applications.
- Define effective stress and explain its role in determining seismic velocities and sediment compaction.
- Describe how pore pressure can be predicted from seismic velocities.
- Explain how stress varies around a borehole.
- Appraise the impact of near-wellbore stress variations on sonic velocities.
- Distinguish between the effects of saturation and pore pressure changes on 4D seismic.
- Explain how fractures can be characterized using seismic data.
- Describe the effect of shale anisotropy on in situ stress estimation.
- Describe the workflow needed to build a 3D Mechanical Earth Model and explain how it can be used to predict pore pressure, in-situ stress, and fracture gradient
Learning Level: Intermediate
Instructor
Colin Sayers
Colin Sayers received a BA in Physics from the University of Lancaster, U.K., a DIC in Mathematical Physics, and a PhD in Physics from Imperial College, London, U.K. He joined Shell’s Exploration and Production Laboratory in The Netherlands in 1986, moving to Schlumberger in 1991. He retired from Schlumberger in May 2020 and currently holds a position as Research Professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Houston. He is a member of AGU, APS, EAGE, GSH, SEG, and SPE, a member of the Research Committee of SEG, and has served on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Science, Geophysical Prospecting, and The Leading Edge.
Fees
Registration Fees: Member $1,300 / Nonmember $1,400 / Student $270
Attendee Limit: 30
Educational Credits: 1.6 CEUs/ 16 PDH's will be awarded for attending this 2-day course
Venue
George R. Brown Convention Center
1001 Avenida De Las Americas
Houston,
Texas
77010
United States