February 22-23, 2021 was the first ever virtual NSERC/Energi Simulation visit. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic we were not able to host our sponsors this year at the Geomechanics Hub in the University of Toronto. The 2021 NSERC/Energi Simulation IRC Student Symposium was held virtually via Zoom. Representatives from Energi Simulation, Geomechanica, Shawcor, PETRONAS Canada, and Baker Hughes were able to attend the event live. Industry and academic peers, collaborators, Energi Simulation IRC Chairs worldwide, and the general public were also invited to the event.
The major themes of this program is aimed to address the crucial and fundamental question brought upon by the industry partner, which is “How can the work and research being carried out in the group translate into and enhance industry practices“. Grasselli’s Geomechanics Group’s research program encompasses three major themes: 1) the role of rock-microstructures and stress conditions in coupled processes, 2) linking physical processes to elastic and viscoelastic seismic models, and 3) upscaling from the laboratory to the reservoir. Hence, the symposium showcased the progress that the group has achieved over the past year and most importantly address the “so what?” question.
The presentation covered a broad range of topics including updates on laboratory testing in terms of attenuation and direct tensile testing, advanced digital image segmentation to map and characterize fractures (i.e., aperture and roughness), acoustic emissions for laboratory tests, as well as advanced numerical modelling through detailed representation of the rock material in the form of grain based modelling (GBM). The group also showcased some of their future works and research interests that will extend over the next few years.
The students and topics of their respective presentations are detailed below:
| Broadband Calibration of Acoustic Emission and Sensors – Edouard KRAVCHINSKY – PhD student |
| Low Frequency Seismic Wave Attenuation Measurements – Afeez K. POPOOLA – PhD student |
| Shale Fracture Mapping by Serial Section Reconstruction and Deep Learning Assisted Geometry Analysis – Mei LI – PhD student |
| Geomechanical Analysis of the Fracture Morphologies from a Laboratory Hydraulic Fracture Experiment on Montney Shale – Earl MAGSIPOC – PhD candidate |
| Using Grain Based Finite-Discrete Element Modeling (GB-FDEM) to Investigate Microstructural Features of Granitic Rocks – Kareem ABOAYANAH – PhD student |
| Update on Fracture Energy Measurement: Progress – Bezawit F. HAILE – PhD student |
Broadband Calibration of Acoustic Emission and Ultrasonic Sensors
Low Frequency Seismic Wave Attenuation Measurements
Shale Fracture Mapping by Serial Section Reconstruction and Deep Learning Assisted Geometry Analysis
Geomechanical Analysis of the Fracture Morphologies from a Laboratory Hydraulic Fracture Experiment
Using GB-FDEM to Investigate Microstructural Features of Granitic Rocks
Update on Fracture Energy Measurements: Progress