Present-Day Stress Field of Western Desert of Egypt from Caliper and Image Logs

The Western Desert of Egypt has enormous oil and gas potential (El Dally, N.H. et al., 2022) but poses challenges in drilling and completion due to the presence of faults and their effects on stress orientation. In this study we investigate present-day stress field of the Western Desert of Egypt. Present-day maximum horizontal stress (S_Hmax) orientations were determined from borehole breakouts (BOs) and drilling-induced fractures (DIFTs) interpreted from caliper data and resistivity image logs. The stress measurements are summarized to provide an overview of the stress orientations. Detailed examples are presented for the Hamra and Rahma fields. The local faults appear to influence the in-situ stress orientations and follow either the predominant NW-SE or NE-SW regional trends generally found in the Western Desert, with the S_Hmax typically parallel to the orientation of nearby faults.