Geomechanical Influences in Water Injection Projects: an Overview

Abstract

During water injection, increasing pore pressures and decreasing temperatures imply reductions in effective horizontal stresses, particularly in proximity to injection wells. This unloading can lead to activation of the natural faults and fractures by brittle failure in the body of the reservoir, over- or under-burden, or to the creation of hydraulic fractures in the vicinity of injection wells. These geomechanical changes will be associated with anisotropic permeability changes, usually increases, that should be incorporated into reservoir simulation, particularly with the objective of configuring the original, or infill, well pattern to the best commercial advantage.