Hydraulic Fracturing and Reservoir Geomechanics

Hydraulic fracturing produces fractures in the rock formation that stimulate the flow of natural gas or oil, increasing the volumes that can be recovered. Wells may be drilled vertically hundreds to thousands of feet below the land surface and may include horizontal or directional sections extending thousands of feet. Research is currently being conducted in these main areas: gas condensate reservoirs, tight gas sands, and naturally fractured reservoirs.

Faculty:

Matt Balhoff

Nicolas Espinoza

John Foster

Zoya Heidari

Kishore Mohanty

Ryosuke Okuno

Jon Olson

Mukul Sharma

Wen Song

Carlos Torres-Verdin

Eric van Oort

Mary Wheeler