Numerical model illustrating flow focusingUT GeoFluids is managed by the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG) and is currently supported by 10 energy companies at a cost of ~ $50,000/year. We are at the start of a 10-year effort entitled GeoFluids2020. Our results are used to predict pressure and stress, design stable and safe drilling programs, and predict hydrocarbon migration and entrapment. We study the state and evolution of pressure, stress, deformation and fluid flow through experiments, models, and field study:

  1. Experimental: We analyze fabric, acoustic, electrical, and material properties of mudrocks : 0.1-100 MPa.
  2. Poromechanical Modeling: We develop and apply coupled models to link realistic rheologies, deformation, stress (shear and normal), and pore pressure.
  3. Field Study: We analyze pore pressure, stress, and deformation in both conventional and unconventional basins.

We produce innovative concepts and analysis workflows that couple geology and geomechanics to predict and interpret pore pressure and stress in the subsurface. We have

  • developed online software that predicts reservoir pressure,
  • released databases and material models that describe mudrock material behavior, and
  • developed workflows to predict stress in salt systems and thrust belts.

Our new research aims to develop a unified approach that incorporates stress dependency, creep, mineralogical transformation, and loading path to illuminate the state and evolution of pressure and stress in basins. We are applying this approach to develop two and three-dimensional whole earth models that improve well design, real-time drilling, borehole stability, reservoir simulation and seismic imaging.

Click here for more details about the Consortium, or contact the Consortium Co-Directors, Dr. Peter Flemings and Dr. Jack Germaine.

Thank You! Annual Meeting

Thank you for making the 2023 UT GeoFluids Annual Meeting a success! It was an exciting and educational three days for us and we were happy to see so many take part. Talks have been uploaded and are available to UT GeoFluids members here. Browse photos from the event on our Flickr Album. To learn more about the meeting, visit UT GeoFluids Annual Meeting.

UT GEOFLUIDS 2023 ANNUAL MEETING
Our 14th Annual Meeting took place March 8-10, 2023, in Austin, Texas. The in-person programs featured a reception and poster session, industry talks, hands-on workshop, and a group dinner. Thank you everyone who participated! UT GeoFluids 2023 Annual Meeting (14.0)

Nikolinakou Presents Research at Energy Conferences. May 2022, Maria Nikolinakou presented research at the Offshore Technology Conference 2023 in Houston, on May 2, and at the inaugural Energy Geoscience Conference 2023 in Aberdeen, on May 18. See News to learn more.

New Grad Student Research. Landon Lockhart's study of the Delaware basin, published Feb. 2023 in Marine and Petroleum Geology, is a systematic approach to predict pore pressure in basins with late-stage or variable erosion.

Grad Student Wins Matson Award. September 2022, UT GeoFluids graduate student Kevin Meazell was awarded the AAPG Matson award. The award recognizes the best paper presented at last year's AAPG annual meeting.

ENI Joins UT GeoFluids. Summer 2022, we welcomed ENI to the UT GeoFluids consortium.

Oxy Short Course on Geopressure. September 2022, Peter Flemings taught a short course on Geopressure and trap integrity at Oxy.

New UT GeoFluids Grad Student. August 2022, Graciela Lopez Campos joined UT GeoFluids and is working on an NSF project with Maria Nikolinakou.

Grad Student Joins Diamondback Internship. Summer 2022, UT GeoFluids graduate student, Landon Lockhart, Diamondback's Operations Team as an intern to perform an analytical study on Wolfcamp B wells in the Midland Basin. Read his account here.

View all UT GeoFluids publications on the publications page
Members can access copies of publications at the Member Area Publication Site
If you don't know your password please contact Peter Flemings.

2023
Lockhart, L.P., Flemings, P.B., Nikolinakou, M.A., Germaine, J.T., 2023, Velocity-based pore pressure prediction in a basin with late-stage erosion: Delaware Basin, Marine and Petroleum Geology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2023.106159

2022
Meazell, K.P., Flemings, P.B., 2022, The evolution of seafloor venting from hydrate-sealed gas reservoirs. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2021.117336.

You, K., Flemings, P.B., Bhandari, A., Heidari, M., Germaine, J.T., 2022, The role of creep in geopressure development. Petroleum Geoscience; https://doi.org/10.1144/petgeo2021-064

Zablocki, M., Germaine, J.T., Plumb, R., Flemings, P.B., 2022, The impact of clay fraction on the strength and stress ratio (K0) in Gulf of Mexico mudrocks and quartz silt mixtures: implications for borehole stability and fracture gradient. Petroleum Geoscience; https://doi.org/10.1144/petgeo2021-056

2021

Heidari, M., Nikolinakou, M. A., Hudec, M.R., and Flemings, P. B., 2021, Impacts of vertical salt welding on pore pressure, stresses, and deformation near the weld. Marine and Petroleum Geology https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2021.105259

Flemings, P.B, 2021, A Concise Guide to Geopressure: Origin, Prediction, and Applications, Cambridge University Press. Purchase

UT GeoFluids produces innovative concepts and analysis workflows that couple geologic loading and fluid flow to predict pore pressure and stress in the subsurface. These include:

  • UT Centroid: online software to predict reservoir pressure as a function of reservoir geometry and mudstone permeability.
  • Seismic Pressure Prediction Integrated with Geomechanical Modeling: a highly innovative workflow integrating seismic velocity data with geomechanical modeling to predict pressure and the full stress tensor.
  • UT-FAST-P3: An online, educational tool allowing users to predict and compare pore pressure using the full stress tensor while demonstrating why it is important to go beyond vertical effective stress (VES) models.

Learn more.