About the Project
POSSIBLE CASE STUDENTSHIP WITH MAERSK OIL
A significant amount of the hydrocarbon reservoirs in the North Sea are chalk (Megson, 1992). This chalk is often naturally fractured or has induced hydraulic fractures to increase production. Ultimately the rate of production is limited by the rate at which hydrocarbon can flow to the fractures from the pore spaces in the chalk. This will be governed by the permeability of the chalk which is ca. 1 µD. The permeability of chalk will be a nonlinear function of effective pressure where permeability k=f(Pc-α Pp) and α is not unity. So during production permeability will drop significantly as the pore pressure drops.
This project will aim to define the effective pressure law for chalk samples taken from producing wells using techniques developed in Manchester to investigate the pressure dependent permeability of shale (McKernan et al., 2017; McKernan et al., 2014). Allied with the permeability measurements seismic velocity measurements will be made which will be used to invert for pore sizes and shapes. In association with the experimental measurements detailed microstructural analysis of the pore geometries will be conducted using state of the art imaging facilities in Manchester including X-ray tomography and FIB-SEM (Ma et al., 2016). By combining permeability measurements, seismic velocities and microstructural analysis with novel pore network models we aim to understand the microstructural controls on permeability and how changes in confining and pore pressure can change permeability in chalk.
Training provided will enable the student to continue in academia or work in the petrophysical support industries and with companies exploiting conventional and unconventional hydrocarbons within and outside the UK. The student will join the Rock Deformation Laboratory a world leading facility with over 40 years of experience in rock mechanics and petrophysics. The student will also use imaging facilities at the cutting edge of technology that are available in Manchester.
Funding Notes
Studentships are fully funded by The University of Manchester and will provide a stipend (currently £14,777 pa), training support fee and UK/EU tuition fees for 3.5 years. Formal training is offered through partnership between the Universities of Manchester and Liverpool in both subject specific and transferable skills to the entire PhD cohort and at each University through local Faculty training programmes. Candidates from the UK and European Union are eligible for full studentship awards.
There will be a fixed date of 26th February 2019 for interviews; successful candidates will be invited by 19th February.
References
References
Ma, L., Taylor, K.G., Lee, P.D., Dobson, K.J., Dowey, P.J., Courtois, L., 2016. Novel 3D centimetre-to nano-scale quantification of an organic-rich mudstone: The Carboniferous Bowland Shale, Northern England. Marine and Petroleum Geology 72, 193-205.
McKernan, R.E., Mecklenburgh, J., Rutter, E.H., Taylor, K.G., 2017. Microstructural controls on the pressure-dependent permeability of Whitby Mudstone. Geological Society, London, Special Publications in press.
McKernan, R.E., Rutter, E.H., Mecklenburgh, J., Taylor, K.G., Covey-Crump, S.J., 2014. Influence of effective pressure on mudstone matrix permeability: implications for shale gas production, SPE/EAGE European Unconventional Resources Conference and Exhibition.
Megson, J.B., 1992. The North Sea Chalk Play: examples from the Danish Central Graben. Geological Society, London, Special Publications 67, 247-282.
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