On Wednesday, August 18, 2025, the College of Engineering at the University of Baghdad held the public defense of the Master’s thesis submitted by the student Mohammed Al-Mujahed Farouq Abdullah in the Department of Petroleum Engineering, entitled:
“Selecting the Optimal Drilling Path in Directional Wells Based on Geomechanical Properties in the Badra Oil Field.”
The defense took place in the department’s discussion hall, with the examining committee composed of the following esteemed professors:
- Dr. Mohammed Saleh Al-Jawad – University of Baghdad / Petroleum Engineering – Chairman
- Dr. Faleh Hassan Mohammed – University of Baghdad / Petroleum Engineering – Member
- Prof. Dr. Dhifaf Jaafar Sadiq – University of Baghdad / Petroleum Engineering – Member
- Prof. Dr. Nagham Jasim Fayyadh – University of Baghdad / Petroleum Engineering – Member & Supervisor
Study Objective:
The study aimed to build a geomechanical model to analyze the effect of geomechanical properties on wellbore stability when changing the drilling deviation angle. Several proposals for directional drilling were presented, including adjusting drilling mud density values within specific ranges to ensure stability.
Study Results:
- The first proposal, drilling 1,000 meters in the Mudud B formation (which represents 40% of the total reservoir) at a 90° angle, showed that the minimum shear failure rate required a mud density of 15 ppg at a depth of 4,600 meters.
- The second proposal, drilling at a 45° angle from the Mudud A to G formations, demonstrated higher stability with a drilling mud density of 13 ppg.
- The third proposal—which was favored according to the study—involved drilling 600 meters with better stability at a 90° angle using a mud weight of 14 ppg, followed by drilling the deviated section at a 45° angle. This option was preferred due to the practical difficulty of implementing the first proposal and the limited reservoir contact of the second.
The study further recommended integrating geomechanical results with subsequent petrophysical studies to achieve more comprehensive and reliable proposals.
After an in-depth scientific discussion by the committee members, and following the student’s defense and thesis evaluation, it was decided to grant the student the Master’s degree in Petroleum Engineering with distinction.
