Course content

The course will focus on relations between physical (primarily acoustical, mechanical and hydraulic) properties of porous rocks and their microstructure, plus effects of external variables such as stresses. Topics included in the lectures will be: Biot's theory of poroelasticity. Effective medium theory for solids containing cracks/inclusions. Description of porous media as grain packs. Anisotropy. In addition, selected topics are discussed; like fractals and self-organised criticality, electromagnetic properties of porous media, or plasticity and localization of mechanical failure.

Learning outcome

Knowledge: The course shall provide fundamental understanding of the physical and mathematical basis for different rock physics models, including Biot's theory of poroelasticity.

Skills: The students shall be able to develop or refine rock physics models, and to implement models into specific applied problems. The students shall be able to see limitations of existing rock physics models, and to perform a critical analysis of literature within the area.

General competence: The students shall give presentations of one scientific article and limited own scientific work on a relevant topic agreed between the student and the teacher(s).

Learning methods and activities

The course is taught every second year. Lectures and exercises. The students will perform a literature study and present it orally. In addition, a limited research work will be performed by the students in groups or individually.

Compulsory assignments

• Exercises

Specific conditions

Recommended previous knowledge

MSc degree in Petroleum science / Geoscience or approval by lecturer.

Required previous knowledge

Solid background in mathematics, physics and mechanics.

Course materials

Compendiums, presentations, parts of the book "Petroleum Related Rock Mechanics" by E. Fjær et al. (2021).

Credit reductions