GEOMECHANICS APPLIED TO THE WELL DESIGN THROUGH SALT LAYERS IN BRAZIL: A HISTORY OF SUCCESS

The lessons learned on the geomechanical salt behavior and its application in subsalt wells design are described in this article. In addition, the developed methodology validation, through comparison between computing modeling results with measurements carried out in experimental panels, in the potash mine, and with measurements obtained in an experimental well drilled for the purpose of calibrating and optimizing directional drilling in salt layers are presented. These parameters and methodology have been used for supporting the design of the wells drilled in the Pre-Salt giant oil fields in Brazil with very successful results.