Ahmad Ghassemi

Associate Professor and Director of PE Rock Mechanics Laboratory

George & Joan Voneiff Development Professor

401 E Richardson Building

College Station, TX 77843-3116

Phone: (979) 845-2206

e-mail: ahmad.ghassemi@pe.tamu.edu

Rock Mechanics Applied to Petroleum & Geothermal Reservoir Development

• Coupled geomechanics/fluid flow modeling: including naturally fractured & heavy oil reservoirs
• Experimental determination of reservoir rock properties
• Hydraulic fracture propagation modeling
• Poro-thermoelasticity
• Wellbore stability analysis, shale instability

Teaching Interests: Reservoir Rock Mechanics, Petrophysics, Applied Poroelasticity & Poro-thermoelaticity

Recent Journal Publications

1. Koshelev, V., Ghassemi, A. 2008. Wedge boundary elements for 2D problems with corner points. J. Engineering Analysis with Boundary Elements. 32, 168-175.
2. Ghassemi, A., Tarasovs, S., and Cheng, A. H.-D. 2007. A Three-Dimensional Study of the Effects of thermo-mechanical loads on fracture slip in enhanced geothermal reservoir. Int. J. Rock Mechanics & Min Sci., Vol. 44 , pp. 1132–1148.
3. Simakin, A., Ghassemi, A. 2007. The mechanics of a magma chamber-fault system in trans-tension with application to Coso. Journal of Structural Geology. 29(12), 1971-1983.
4. Ge, J., and Ghassemi, A. 2007. Pore pressure and stress distributions around an injection-induced fracture. Geothermal Resources Council Transactions.
5. Ghassemi, A., Suresh Kumar, G. 2007. Variation of Fracture Aperture and Pressure Due to Combined Heat Extraction-Induced Thermal Stress and Silica Dissolution/Precipitation. Geothermics. 36, 115–140
6. Ghassemi, A., Tarasovs, A. and Cheng, A.D.-H. 2005. Integral equation solution of heat extraction induced thermal stress in enhanced geothermal reservoirs. Int. J. Num. & Anal. Methods in Geomechanics, 29, 829-844.
7. Dobroskok, A. A., Ghassemi, A., and Linkov, A.M. 2005. Novozhilov structural criterion: an extension for numerical simulation of mode I and II crack growth and coalescence. Int. J. of Fracture. 133, 223-246.
8. Dobroskok, A. A., Ghassemi, A., and Linkov, A.M. 2005. Numerical simulation of crack propagation influenced by thermal and porous liquid stresses. Int. J. of Fracture. 134, L29-L34.
9. Suresh Kumar, G. and Ghassemi, A. 2005. Numerical modeling of non-isothermal quartz dissolution and precipitation in a coupled fracture-matrix system. Geothermics, 34, 411-439.
10. Simakin, A. & Ghassemi, A. 2005. Modeling Deformation of Partially melted Rock using a Poro-viscoelastic Rheology with dynamic power law viscosity. Tectonophysics. 397, 195-209.
11. Ghassemi, A., Zhang, Q. 2006. Poro-thermoelastic response of a stationary crack using the displacement discontinuity method. ASCE J. Engineering Mechanics, 132(1), 26-33.
12. Ghassemi, A. & Zhang, Q. 2004. A transient fictitious stress boundary element method for poro-thermoelastic media. J. Eng. Anal. Boundary Elements, 28/11, 1363-1373.
13. Koshelev, V. & Ghassemi, A. 2004. Complex variable BEM for stationary thermoelasticity & poroelasticity. J. Eng. Anal. Boundary Elements, 28/7, 825-832.

Conference Papers

1. Tao, Q., Ghassemi, A. 2006. Optimization of Mud Properties for Drilling in Shale Using Coupled Chemo-Poro-Thermoelasticity. 40th U.S. Rock Mech. Symp., Golden, CO.
2. Nygren, A. and Ghassemi, A. 2006. Coupled Poroelastic and Thermoelastic Effects of Injection into a Geothermal Reservoir. 40th U.S. Rock Mech. Symp., Golden, CO.
3. Tao, Q., Ghassemi, A., and Diek, A. 2005. A Chemo-Poro-Thermoelastic Model for Stress/Pore Pressure Analysis around a Wellbore in Shale. 40th U.S. Rock Mech. Symp., Rock Mechanics for Energy, Mineral and Infrastructure Development in the Northern Regions, Anchorage, Alaska, June 25-29.
4. Nygren, A. and Ghassemi, A. 2005. Influence of cold water injection on critically stressed fractures in Coso Geothermal Field, CA. 40th U.S. Rock Mech. Symp., Rock Mechanics for Energy, Mineral and Infrastructure Development in the Northern Regions, Anchorage, Alaska, June 25-29.
5. Nygren, A. and Ghassemi, A., Cheng A.H.-D. 2005. Effects of cold-water injection on fracture aperture and injection pressure. GRC Annual Conf., Reno, Nevada.
6. Suresh Kumar, G., and Ghassemi, A. 2005. Evolution of fracture permeability and pressure with rock cooling and silica dissolution in a coupled fracture-matrix system: a numerical investigation. GRC Annual Conf., Reno, Nevada.
7. Dobroskok A., and. Ghassemi, A. 2004. Crack propagation, coalescence and re-initiation in naturally fractured rocks. In GRC Trans. 28, 285-288.
8. Nygren, A., and Ghassemi, A. 2004. An Estimate of the Maximum Horizontal In-situ Stress in Coso Geothermal Reservoir from Drilling-induced Tensile Fractures. Ann. Geothermal Resources Council Conf. (GRC) Palm Springs, CA.

Professional Activities

• Editorial Board of Geothermics
• Member of the Petroleum Engineering Honor Society
• Member, American Rock Mechanics Association
• Co-Chair, Reservoir Engineering Session, Geothermal Res. Council, Annual Meeting, Palm Springs, 2004.
• Co-Chair, Reservoir Engineering Session, Geothermal Res. Council, Annual Meeting, Reno, 2003
• Co-organizer, 2001 Hydraulic Fracturing Workshop in 38th US Rock Mech. Symp., Washington DC.
• Chair, Session on Wellbore Stability, 4th North American Rock Mech. Symp., Seattle, WA, 2000.
• Co-Chair, Session on Shale Properties, 38th US Rock Mech. Symp., 2001, Washington D.C.

Postdoctoral Associates

Drs. Xiaoxian Zhou, Sergejs Tarasovs, Suresh Kumar, Vadim Koshelev, Alexander Simakin, and Anastasia Dobroskok

Awards & Honors

• American Rock Mechanics Association M.S. Thesis of the Year Awarded to former student Andrew Nygren, 2006
• School of Engineering & Mines Olson Professors, 2003-2004
• Oak Ridge Junior Faculty Enhancement Award 1996 (Runner-up)
• SPE Student Paper Contest, Ph.D. Division: 2nd Place, 1994