Stakeholders in the in-situ oilsands development take the caprock integrity issues very seriously. The industry is faced withthe challenge of determining an optimal operating pressure in the reservoir. In general, the pressure should stay low enoughto ensure the caprock integrity while being high enough for enhanced oil production and economics. This paper presents acomprehensive work program on the subject for a shallow oilsands play. Caprock integrity is concerned about the induced stress and deformation in the caprock during the thermal stimulation ofthe oilsands reservoir. A mini-frac test program was undertaken to define the original in-situ stress state. Laboratory testswere carried out to measure the deformation and strength properties. Simulations were run to calculate the induced stressesand evaluate them against the mechanical strength. Consequently, a factor of safety is delivered for a given operatingpressure. This paper will cover all these geomechanical work components. Both field data and theoretical considerations areincluded to augment the technical descriptions.
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