Geotechnical engineering issues associated with oil & gas production and gas storage include caprock integrity, borehole stability, water disposal, and greenhouse gas management. Numerical modelling and specialized laboratory testing are required to investigate subsurface stability issues in different geologic formations, along with determination of in situ stress conditions. Examples of projects in which Dr. Rod Read has been engaged include the following:
| Client | Description | Date |
| ECO-Matters | Review of risk assessment methodology for CO2 sequestration project in Saskatchewan. | 2003 |
| Alberta Geological Survey | Investigation of in situ stresses in salt formations in northeastern Alberta to assess the feasibility of greenhouse gas disposal in salt caverns. Included literature review and data compilation. | 2001 |
| Albian Sands Energy | Geotechnical evaluation of water disposal well alignments in north-eastern Alberta, including in situ stress modeling, slope stability analysis, and borehole stability analysis | 2001 |
| Petro-Canada | Analysis of the geomechanical effects associated with water disposal at two areas in northeast Alberta. Simulations were conducted using analytical solutions and numerical modeling with FLAC. | 2001 |
| Petro-Canada | Review of caprock permeability criteria. | 2001 |
| Imperial Oil | Geotechnical characterization in east-central Alberta, including preliminary development of a geomechanical classification system for cyclic steam operations. | 2001 |
| Shell Canada | Borehole stability analysis of proposed cyclic steam stimulation wells in eastern British Columbia. Included laboratory testing at the University of Alberta to obtain strength and mechanical properties for simulations. | 2001 |
| Petro-Canada | Geomechanical analysis of bitumen properties in east-central Alberta. Analyses used the numerical code FLAC to simulate the combined effects of SAGD heating and pressure declines. | 2001 |
| Alberta Energy Company | Feasibility study on the application of microseismic monitoring to gas storage in west-central Alberta. Geomechanical simulations of gas storage and withdrawal were conducted using FLAC to assess the likelihood of induced microseismicity, and optimum monitoring period. | 2001 |
| Petro-Canada | Geomechanical analysis of bitumen properties in east-central Alberta. Analyses used the numerical code FLAC to simulate the combined effects of SAGD heating and pressure declines. | 2000 |
| CNRL | Geotechnical characterization in east-central Alberta, including an extensive laboratory testing program on core from the area. | 2000 |
| Husky Oil | Numerical analysis of borehole stability for an offshore project in eastern Canada, including laboratory testing to assess material properties and to correlate laboratory and in-situ properties. Numerical simulations were conducted using FLAC to consider the complete life-cycle of a borehole, including drilling, overpressuring, underbalanced conditions, and thermal effects. | 2000 |
Projects in italics involved Dr. Rod Read but were not conducted by RSRead Consulting Inc.