Research Group
Wellbore Stability (GIEP)
ABOUT OUR Group
The Wellbore Stability Research Group (GIEP) was established in September 2003 following the signing of Technological Cooperation Agreement No. 002 of 2003 between Ecopetrol-ICP, the Universidad Industrial de Santander and the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellín Campus. The group was created as part of the Cost Reduction in Development Projects in the Colombian Llanos Foothills macroproject.
The initiative emerged in response to wellbore instability problems encountered during drilling operations in the Colombian Llanos foothills, which caused significant operational delays and increased costs. These challenges resulted from multiple factors, including stress regimes, mechanical rock properties, weakness planes, well trajectories, attack angles, and drilling fluid density and composition, among other critical aspects. In response, companies in the hydrocarbon sector and Colombian universities joined efforts to conduct research in geomechanics applied to wellbore stability.
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GIEP brings together a multidisciplinary team of UIS faculty members, as well as undergraduate and graduate students from various disciplines, who combine scientific knowledge to develop optimal solutions to specific geomechanical problems in the energy industry.
Over more than 20 years of research, the group has earned strong national and international recognition. This standing is reflected in the quality of its publications, methodologies, awards, and scientific and technological products, which have contributed to solving real-world challenges in the Colombian Llanos foothills and to analyzing global experiences in shale play development for future application in Colombia.
In recent years, GIEP has expanded its scientific scope by incorporating three new research lines: Computational Geomechanics, Geothermal Energy, and CO₂ Storage. This diversification broadens the scope of its projects while preserving the group’s founding mission: to reduce costs in energy development projects.
Emiliano
ARIZA LEÓN
Research Group Director
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RESEARCH Lines
- Real-Time Wellbore Stability Analysis
- Wellbore Stability Analysis in Naturally Fractured Formations
- Analysis of Chemical Interactions Between Drilling Fluids and Clay Formations
- Sand Control in Hydrocarbon-Producing Reservoirs
- Development of Software for Wellbore Stability Analysis
- Geothermal Energy
- Evaluation of Methods for Pore Pressure Prediction
- Hydraulic Fracturing
- Geomechanics Applied to Low-Carbon Technologies
- Machine Learning and Big Data Applied to the Oil and Gas Industry
- Measurement of Pseudo-Static and Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Porous Media
- Drill Cuttings Microtechnology Applied to Wellbore Instability
- Basin Modeling and Formation Evaluation
- Geomechanical Simulation
- Energy Transition
- Use of Electrical Logging Tools to Measure Rock Mechanical Properties
- Source Rock Reservoirs
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Senior or Associate Professor
A1 and A -Ranked Articles
Academic Programs
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PRODUCCIÓN Destacada
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PRODUCCIÓN Destacada
Cadena productiva de los hidrocarburos: Energía sostenible para la transición energética de Colombia (Hydrocarbon Value Chain: Sustainable Energy for Colombia's Energy Transition) Textbook | 2024 | Ediciones UIS
Introducción a la mecánica de rocas y sus aplicaciones en la industria del petróleo (Introduction to Rock Mechanics and Its Applications in the Petroleum Industry) Research Book | 2014 | Editorial UIS
EXTENSION Services
The Wellbore Stability Research Group (GIEP) offers research and outreach services across all of its research lines.
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OUR Team
Diego Armando
VARGAS SILVA
PhD in Chemical Engineering
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would you like more information? Contact us
Wellbore Stability Research Group (GIEP)
Phone: +57 (607) 634 4000
Extension: 1326
Email: giep@uis.edu.co
Campus Central UIS
Bucaramanga, Santander
Carrera 27 calle 9
Edificio Jorge Bautista Vesga, ofician 112
Office Hours
Monday to Friday
8:00 a.m. – noon.
2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.