Role of geomechanics in appraising a deep tight gas reservoir: Amin formation, oman

Overbalance leads to near-wellbore porosity and permeability damage in the rock matrix and fractures. Also, poroelastic effects caused by invasion contribute to difficulties in initiating and propagating hydraulic fractures. Damage to natural fractures intersecting the well can prevent their detection, leading to missed productive intervals. Alternatively, underbalanced drilling (UBD) can avoid these effects and, thereby, indicate the gas potential of these reservoirs better. However, not all reservoirs are suitable for UBD because there can be a greater risk of wellbore mechanical instability. Therefore, performing geomechanical analysis before drilling can help evaluate the feasibility of UBD operations.