Inspect pre-solved models in your browser in 2 seconds (up to 300k DOF) or solve 1.5M+ DOF assemblies 100% offline on Windows and macOS.
Deep Hydrocarbon Wellbore Stability in Anisotropic In-Situ Stress Field (H = 2500 m)
Reservoir sandstone rock massif with Ø160 mm wellbore under anisotropic far-field stresses (σ_v = 60 MPa, σ_H = 50 MPa, σ_h = 35 MPa) and 28 MPa drilling mud pressure.
Determine the safe drilling mud weight window to prevent shear breakout failure along the minimum horizontal stress axis (σ_h) while avoiding tensile hydraulic fracturing along the maximum horizontal stress axis (σ_H) at 2500 m true vertical depth.
1. Geometry & FEA Mesh
- •3D rock massif block (1200 × 1200 × 800 mm) with a central cylindrical borehole (Ø160 mm / rw = 80 mm) along Z
- •Material: Reservoir Sandstone (E = 24.0 GPa, ν = 0.22, density 2450 kg/m³)
- •Mesh: 30,070 linear tetrahedral elements (TET4) with 6,886 nodes (20,658 DOFs)
- •Exact boundary face tagging via unified journal: wellbore wall, massif top, bottom, and 4 lateral confinement faces
2. Loads & Boundary Conditions
- •Bottom face roller-supported (Uz = 0); top face loaded with lithostatic overburden σ_v = 60 MPa
- •Lateral outer faces loaded with anisotropic tectonic compressive loads: σ_H = 50 MPa along X and σ_h = 35 MPa along Y
- •Cylindrical borehole wall loaded with internal hydrostatic drilling mud pressure P_mud = 28 MPa
3. Simulation Results & Findings
- ✓Maximum rock displacement |u| = 2.087 mm at the wellbore wall along the minimum stress azimuth
- ✓Peak von Mises stress σ_vm = 37.16 MPa with Kirsch hoop stress σ_θθ = 87.0 MPa concentrated at 90° azimuth (along Y)
- ✓Reaction equilibrium residual Δ = 0.09%, confirming strict static force balance
Essential for drilling engineers and geomechanics specialists to optimize wellbore trajectories, mud weight programs, and casing setting depths in oil and gas exploration.
14 days of full Pro access. The first charge occurs only after 14 days unless canceled beforehand.
- ✓14-Day Trial ($0 Today) (cancel anytime)
- ✓Up to 1.5M+ DOFs (direct sparse solver)
- ✓Native Windows & macOS Apps (100% offline)
- ✓Nonlinear Contact & Buckling (Kσ, MITC4, RBE2/RBE3)
Ask an Engineer About Your Model
Describe your part, load case, or CAD format — we reply within 2 business hours.
Want an instant answer on FEA theory or this model?
Click the AI chat button in the bottom-right corner to ask about boundary conditions, stress criteria, mesh convergence, or DSL scripting.
More Engineering Simulation Cases
High-Pressure Bolted Pipe Flange Joint
Throttled API 6A Gate Valve Internal Flow: Vena Contracta Jet & Pressure Drop (CFD)
API 6A Gate Valve Body (51.7 MPa Hydrotest)
