Stresses Around Wellbores in Nonlinear Rock

Abstract

The state of stress around a vertical wellbore in rock following nonlinear stress-strain laws is examined by means of finite element analysis. The wellbore is considered an axisymmetric body with axisymmetric loading. The initial vertical and horizontal stresses are “locked” in the rock elements around the wellbore and a new state of stress is generated by the displacements which occur around the borehole. A point-wise variation of the elastic moduli is made on the basis of the new stress state and the triaxial data. The initial stresses are now reintroduced along with the changed moduli and original boundary constraints. This procedure is repeated until convergent stresses are reached. The effect of nonlinearity on stresses is examined for a 6,000-ft wellbore in a schistose gneiss and Berea sandstone using results of laboratory triaxial compression tests. The results show that the effect is restricted to one well radius from the bottom periphery of the hole. Beyond a distance of one-quarter radius, the effect of nonlinearity on stresses is almost always less than 5 percent for the cases considered. The consideration of a static pressure inside the well does not magnify the effect of nonlinearity on borehole stresses.