Caprock integrity is a complex subject involving several factors including in-situ geology, operation and well hardware. Due to its integrated nature, BitCan offers a turn-key solution to your caprock integrity concerns under a single roof and without subcontracting:

• We provide a dedicated coring system for on-site shale core preservation and transport. 

• We supply both equipment, personnel and real-time analysis software to conduct mini-frac tests to measure the in-situ minimum stress and establish site-specific and field-validated geomechanical models. 

• Our fracture characterization service compiles statistics on natural fractures in the caprock.

• Our custom-designed triaxial laboratory test system measures the compressive strength as well as low/high-temperature permeability and breakthrough pressure/temperature. Our laboratory system can simulate the various operating impacts such as shale hydration during drilling, conductive heating behind the casing, and steam leak. All tests are carried out under stress and deformation conditions similar actual field situations.

• Our unique simulation capabilities help design safe steaming pressures and temperatures. These operation designs encompass other parameters such as steaming schedules and well layouts, offering more room to manage the caprock and casing integrity. We have captured these principles in a unique software which has been widely used in a major international company for managing their daily thermal operations. Furthermore, our simulation models involve both the real geology and well hardware so that the casing design is tailored to specific geological and operational conditions.

"Petroleum production is valuable. But we have a more valuable resource, i.e. the groundwater aquifer, to protect." Whether you are required by ERCB to answer their concerns on the caprock integrity, or you have experienced real problems in your operations, BitCan is the optimal resource for you. In our opinion, SAGD is not necessarily safer than CSS, but with proper caution and exercise, we can manage the caprock integrity very well.

Caprock integrity is equally important for other subsurface stimulation, injection or production activities such as subsurface CO2 sequestration. They all share the same mechanical principles and working approaches although the particular geological context may be different. BitCan's integrated service capabilities are unique in this area. We characterize the in-situ geology by mechanical strengths, existence of faults, their orientations and mechanical properties. We also measure the original in-situ stresses and simulate the induced stresses and deformation during the CO2 sequestration.