Introduction to Geomechanics: Theory and Practice was originally presented as a two-day course that provided a practical introduction to geomechanics, focused on understanding how in-situ stresses, pore pressure, and rock properties influence drilling performance, wellbore stability, and reservoir behavior. Core topics include tectonic and borehole stresses, wellbore failure mechanisms, and the role of geomechanics in production, including natural fractures, depletion, and injection effects.
The course places strong emphasis on applied workflows for stress determination and modeling, including estimation of vertical and minimum stress, pore pressure analysis, and the integration of rock mechanical properties. Participants are introduced to practical techniques for defining safe mud weight windows, predicting breakdown pressures, and evaluating wellbore stress concentrations.