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Abstract

AAPG Bulletin, V. 102, No. 1 (January 2018), P. 1-26.

Copyright ©2018. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.1306/0329171621117056

Three-dimensional printing for geoscience: Fundamental research, education, and applications for the petroleum industry

Sergey Ishutov,1 T. Dawn Jobe,2 Shuo Zhang,3 Miguel Gonzalez,4 Susan M. Agar,5 Franciszek J. Hasiuk,6 Francesca Watson,7 Sebastian Geiger,8 Eric Mackay,9 and Richard Chalaturnyk10

1Aramco Research Center, 16300 Park Row Drive, Houston, Texas 77084; Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, Iowa State University, Science I, 2237 Osborn Drive, Ames, Iowa 50011; [email protected]
2Aramco Research Center, 16300 Park Row Drive, Houston, Texas 77084; [email protected]
3Aramco Research Center, 16300 Park Row Drive, Houston, Texas 77084; [email protected]
4Aramco Research Center, 16300 Park Row Drive, Houston, Texas 77084; [email protected]
5Aramco Research Center, 16300 Park Row Drive, Houston, Texas 77084; [email protected]
6Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, Iowa State University, Science I, 2237 Osborn Drive, Ames, Iowa 50011; [email protected]
7Institute of Petroleum Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton Campus, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, United Kingdom; [email protected]
8Institute of Petroleum Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton Campus, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, United Kingdom; [email protected]
9Institute of Petroleum Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton Campus, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, United Kingdom; [email protected]
10Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 1H9; [email protected]

ABSTRACT

Three-dimensional (3-D) printing provides a fast, cost-effective way to produce and replicate complicated designs with minimal flaws and little material waste. Early use of 3-D printing for engineering applications in the petroleum industry has stimulated further adoption by geoscience researchers and educators. Recent progress in geoscience is signified by capabilities that translate digital rock models into 3-D printed rock proxies. With a variety of material and geometric scaling options, 3-D printing of near-identical rock proxies provides a method to conduct repeatable laboratory experiments without destroying natural rock samples. Rock proxy experiments can potentially validate numerical simulations and complement existing laboratory measurements on changes of rock properties over geologic time scales. A review of published research from academic, government, and industry contributions indicates a growing community of rock proxy experimentalists. Three-dimensional printing techniques are being applied to fundamental research in the areas of multiphase fluid flow and reactive transport, geomechanics, physical properties, geomorphology, and paleontology. Further opportunities for geoscience research are discussed. Applications in education include teaching models of terrains, fossils, and crystals. The integration of digital data sets with 3-D printed geomorphologies supports communication for both societal and technical objectives. Broad benefits that could be realized from centralized 3-D printing facilities are also discussed.

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