Biography
Pat McLellan, M.Sc., P.Eng., is the principal consultant and president of McLellan Energy Advisors Inc. and has over 30 years of experience applying geomechanics to a wide range of E&P activities. He was the founder of Advanced Geotechnology Inc. (now part of Weatherford Petroleum Consulting) and has conducted over 500 consulting and research projects for clients in Canada and abroad. He was the lead developer of two commercial software products for well design and geomechanical analysis. Previously he was employed in technical and management roles with Petro-Canada, Shell Canada, and Shell Research.
He has written or presented over 150 technical papers and given more than 130 short courses on geomechanics-related topics in Canada and abroad. He is currently an SPE instructor for short courses on Caprock Integrity and Petroleum Geomechanics for Unconventional Recovery. Pat was an SPE Distinguished Lecturer in 2002–2003, and is a recipient of the SPE Distinguished Service Award. He received a B.Sc.(Eng.) in Geological Engineering from Queen’s University in 1979 and an M.Sc. in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Alberta in 1983.
Between 2010 and 2015 he was the Senior Geomechanics Advisor for Talisman Energy (now Repsol). In 2014-15 he was a member of the Independent Technical Panel appointed by the Alberta Energy Regulator and CNRL to review and advise on bitumen emulsion flows to surface at the Primrose CSS project, Alberta. In 2010 he was a member of the International Technical Review Committee for CO2 Sequestration at the Gorgon Gas Project, offshore Australia.
He is active member of several technical societies including: APEGA, AAPG, CSPG, CSEG, CHOA, CSUR, SPE.
Description
Course Outline
This two-day course is an introduction to petroleum geomechanics principles and their application to the characterization and development of unconventional shale gas and oil resources. The following topics will be covered:
- In-situ stress orientations/magnitudes – Why they matter and how to measure and predict
- Key rock mechanical and acoustic properties of caprocks and reservoirs
- Discontinuities (bedding planes, fractures, faults) – Properties and their significance
- Borehole stresses and wellbore stability – basic principles, examples
- Casing integrity – overview of geomechanical risks during drilling and completions
- Geomechanical aspects of hydraulic fracturing - case histories from several WCSB settings
- Caprock integrity – Modes of failure, risk assessment, with examples
- Induced seismicity during well stimulation and fluid disposal
- In-situ and remote deformation monitoring techniques (tiltmeters, microseismic, InSAR, GPS)
Participants will receive a course manual with many of the latest technical innovations in the industry, a comprehensive list of references, and numerous practical examples.
Why You Should Attend
- To understand how geomechanical properties and in-situ stresses can be used to help delineate prospective sweet spots in unconventional shale reservoirs.
- To gain a better understanding of the geomechanical factors that affect well drilling, completions, stimulation, production and performance over time.
- To learn how field, laboratory, modelling and monitoring programs can be used to effectively manage geomechanical risks during the lifetime of an asset.
