ROCK PHYSICS AND GEOMECHANICS IN THE STUDY OF RESERVOIRS AND REPOSITORIES

Abstract

Reservoir management for hydrocarbon extraction and repositories design for radioactive waste storage are two different areas in which rock physics and geomechanics provide valuable information. Although the targets and objectives are different, similar approaches and common attributes exist in both fields: safety assessment, short- to long-term prediction, integration of various scales of investigation, and remote monitoring, among others. Nevertheless, there are also important differences: reservoirs at depth are investigated through remote geophysical studies, well-logging and/or core samples retrieval, whereas direct access to repositories is possible through excavation in the host formation in which underground research laboratories can be constructed. We review a number of studies focusing on geomechanics and rock physics applied to the characterization of reservoirs and repositories, including laboratory experiments and predictive models, at different scales.