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Modeling the Present-Day In-Situ Stress Field in a Geo-Energy Reservoir for Geomechanical Dilation-Enhanced Thermal Recovery.

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Title: Modeling the Present-Day In-Situ Stress Field in a Geo-Energy Reservoir for Geomechanical Dilation-Enhanced Thermal Recovery.
Authors: Li, Biao1 (AUTHOR), Luo, Chihui2 (AUTHOR), Xu, Bin3,4 (AUTHOR) bin.xu3@ucalgary.ca, Chen, Jiangang5 (AUTHOR), Chen, Sen2 (AUTHOR)
Source: Rock Mechanics & Rock Engineering. Jun2026, Vol. 59 Issue 6, p6049-6064. 16p.
Subjects: Steam injection (Enhanced oil recovery), Geological strains & stresses, Petroleum engineering, Hydraulic fracturing, Rock mechanics, Computer simulation, Oil sands, Heat recovery
Abstract: During thermal steam stimulation in the unconsolidated oilsands reservoir, fractures are often created to enhance injectivity. This process involves pressurizing and heating the reservoir, leading to changes in stress. The current understanding of the in-situ stress fields in mature oilsands reservoirs post thermal stimulation is limited, and the impact on ongoing reservoir stimulations is uncertain. Using minifrac stress tests as constraints, we developed the present-day in-situ stress field through integrated geomechanics and reservoir simulations on a mature oilsands reservoir. Both room-temperature and high-temperature triaxial tests were conducted to explore the thermal effects on oilsands strength, while multiple open-hole minifrac tests measured the in-situ stresses. We employed a multiphase thermal reservoir simulator coupled with a geomechanics finite element simulator to predict the present-day in-situ stress field by simulating temperature, pore pressure, and effective stress distributions, which complements previous isothermal studies on coupled reservoir-geomechanical analysis. Our findings reveal that years of steam stimulation led to notable changes in the magnitudes and orientations of the in-situ stress field. Steam injection amplified the in-situ stress around the steam chamber, with only partial stress recovery during production due to the formation's elasto-plastic deformation. Future reservoir stimulation plans for this highly heterogeneous reservoir need careful consideration, as factors such as oil recovery, optimal well spacing and trajectory, and operational strategy hinge on the current in-situ stress field. Highlights: Large-scale characterizations and high-performance computing are applied to deal with big data. Coupled reservoir geomechanical modeling is applied to estimate present-day in-situ stress. Hydraulic fracturing in unconsolidated oil sands is simulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Rock Mechanics & Rock Engineering is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Modeling the Present-Day In-Situ Stress Field in a Geo-Energy Reservoir for Geomechanical Dilation-Enhanced Thermal Recovery.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Rock+Mechanics+%26+Rock+Engineering%22">Rock Mechanics & Rock Engineering</searchLink>. Jun2026, Vol. 59 Issue 6, p6049-6064. 16p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Steam+injection+%28Enhanced+oil+recovery%29%22">Steam injection (Enhanced oil recovery)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Geological+strains+%26+stresses%22">Geological strains & stresses</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Petroleum+engineering%22">Petroleum engineering</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hydraulic+fracturing%22">Hydraulic fracturing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Rock+mechanics%22">Rock mechanics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Computer+simulation%22">Computer simulation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Oil+sands%22">Oil sands</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Heat+recovery%22">Heat recovery</searchLink>
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  Data: During thermal steam stimulation in the unconsolidated oilsands reservoir, fractures are often created to enhance injectivity. This process involves pressurizing and heating the reservoir, leading to changes in stress. The current understanding of the in-situ stress fields in mature oilsands reservoirs post thermal stimulation is limited, and the impact on ongoing reservoir stimulations is uncertain. Using minifrac stress tests as constraints, we developed the present-day in-situ stress field through integrated geomechanics and reservoir simulations on a mature oilsands reservoir. Both room-temperature and high-temperature triaxial tests were conducted to explore the thermal effects on oilsands strength, while multiple open-hole minifrac tests measured the in-situ stresses. We employed a multiphase thermal reservoir simulator coupled with a geomechanics finite element simulator to predict the present-day in-situ stress field by simulating temperature, pore pressure, and effective stress distributions, which complements previous isothermal studies on coupled reservoir-geomechanical analysis. Our findings reveal that years of steam stimulation led to notable changes in the magnitudes and orientations of the in-situ stress field. Steam injection amplified the in-situ stress around the steam chamber, with only partial stress recovery during production due to the formation's elasto-plastic deformation. Future reservoir stimulation plans for this highly heterogeneous reservoir need careful consideration, as factors such as oil recovery, optimal well spacing and trajectory, and operational strategy hinge on the current in-situ stress field. Highlights: Large-scale characterizations and high-performance computing are applied to deal with big data. Coupled reservoir geomechanical modeling is applied to estimate present-day in-situ stress. Hydraulic fracturing in unconsolidated oil sands is simulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Rock Mechanics & Rock Engineering is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1007/s00603-024-04268-9
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 16
        StartPage: 6049
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Steam injection (Enhanced oil recovery)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Geological strains & stresses
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Petroleum engineering
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Hydraulic fracturing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Rock mechanics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Computer simulation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Oil sands
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Heat recovery
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Modeling the Present-Day In-Situ Stress Field in a Geo-Energy Reservoir for Geomechanical Dilation-Enhanced Thermal Recovery.
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            NameFull: Li, Biao
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            NameFull: Luo, Chihui
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            NameFull: Xu, Bin
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            NameFull: Chen, Jiangang
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            – D: 01
              M: 06
              Text: Jun2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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