Evaluation of the effects of Petroleum Geomechanical Studies on Enhancing Hydrocarbon Recovery

Appropriate utilization of hydrocarbon reserves is a crucial parameter that should be considered to improve lifespan of these valuable sources. Thus, due to the long-life of the Iranian oil reservoirs and reduction in their average production index, it is of utmost importance to keep the production rate high by appropriate reservoir management strategies. These methods are known as enhanced/improved oil recovery (EOR/IOR) approaches. Furthermore, stimulation methods like hydraulic fracturing and acidizing are also used for oil recovery. Regardless of the application of such methods for oil recovery, the geomechanical studies play a key role in optimization of the mentioned methods. Among them, gas injection and hydraulic fracturing, due to their efficiency and more implemented projects, are the most important and effective methods. In this paper, all the EOR and IOR methods, which are applicable in carbonate reservoir are investigated. Moreover, the geomechanical hazards associated with each EOR/IOR method were investigated.