PORE PRESSURE OVERVIEW

The pressures of sedimentary rocks are extremely important in the exploration for oil

and gas. Oil and gas move towards and accumulate in areas of the sub-surface at lower excess

pressures (King Hubbert,1953). The pressure of the fluids in pore space affects both the

porosities of sedimentary rocks, and the velocities of the seismic waves used to examine

geological structures in the sub-surface (Dutta, 1987). Blow outs of wells drilled in search of

oil and gas often arise when the pressures of the fluids in the pores of the rocks change

suddenly as the well is deepened. These changes can be transmitted rapidly to the fluids in

the annulus around the drill. If this is not allowed for, the fluids can surge uncontrollably out

of the well. The tendency of a freshly drilled well to collapse is closely related to the

pressures of the fluids in the pores of the surrounding rocks (Bradley, 1979).

In porous formations, the fluid pressures in the pore spaces define the pore pressure.

There is a huge variation in pore pressure, right from hydrostatic pressure and beyond, and

also in overpressure scenarios. Overpressure situation can be created in both clastic and non-

clastic reservoirs when at some depth the formation pressure exceeds what is expected for a

hydrostatic (normal/lithostatic) pressure scenario. Likewise an underpressure situation has

also been reported from reservoirs after sufficient hydrocarbons have been extracted. Over-

and underpressure can develop by both tectonic (e.g., horizontal or vertical stress) and

tectonic processes (e.g., mineral phase change, kerogen maturation). Presence or withdrawal

of water (saline and freshwater) and hydrocarbon can produce over- and underpressure.

Fracture pressure and its gradient are important in planning well-drilling programmes. Pore

pressure estimation has become an active field of research in the present day oil industry and

several methods exist for such estimation.

1
 Pore pressure is one of the most important parameters for drilling plan and for

geomechanical and geological analyses. Pore pressures are the fluid pressures in the pore

spaces in the porous formations. Pore pressure varies from hydrostatic pressure, to severely

overpressure (48% to 95% of the overburden stress). If the pore pressure is lower or higher

than the hydrostatic pressure (normal pore pressure), it is abnormal pore pressure. When pore

pressure exceeds the normal pressure, it is overpressure.

The fundamental theory for pore pressure prediction is based on Terzaghi's and Biot's

effective stress law (Biot, 1941; Terzaghi et al., 1996). This theory indicates that pore

pressure in the formation is a function of total stress (or overburden stress) and effective

stress. The overburden stress, effective vertical stress and pore pressure can be expressed in

the following form:

Figure Equation 1,where p is the pore pressure; σV is the overburden stress; σe is the vertical effective stress;
and α is the Biot effective stress coefficient. It is conventionally assumed α=1 in geopressure community.