Geomechanical Modeling of Rock Deformation and Associated Microseismicity

• Author / Creator

  Chorney, Drew R

• Microseismicity monitoring is increasingly being used to asses in real time the
  effectiveness of hydraulic fracture treatments. As this tool continues to become
  more prevalent, questions regarding the observed microseismicity and the geomechanics are being asked. Often substantial differences are estimated between the total input energy inferred from fluid injection rates and the radiated energy observed from recorded seismicity. The injected energy is substantially larger than the estimated radiated seismic energy. Geomechanical modeling may be able to provide some insight. Using the Bonded Particle Model (BPM) logic sandstone core samples are modeled as the aggregation of thousands of bonded spherical particles. Uniaxial and tri-axial tests on these cylindrical sleeves reproduce the macroscopic properties of rock. A number of features of the models are analyzed with a strong emphasis on investigating the deformation of the samples and their associated energy budget.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Aseismic deformation
  • Geomechanical modeling
  • Energy budget
  • Geomechanics
  • Microseismicity
  • Brittle deformation
  • Bonded particle model

• Graduation date

  Spring 2014

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3794130D

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.