Coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) phenomena and processes extend from the wellbore to reservoir scales in the development of hydrocarbon, geothermal, and natural gas hydrate energies. The wellbore-scale THMC phenomena may include well stability/integrity, lost circulation, sand production, and formation damage. The reservoir-scale phenomena may include reservoir compaction, land subsidence, caprock integrity, fault reactivation, and seismicity.

These processes have led to enormous economic losses to the energy industry, as well as serious safety and environmental issues. The increasingly hostile environments encountered in energy development, such as high-pressure-high-temperature (HPHT), ultra-deepwater, naturally fractured, unconsolidated, and permafrost formations, present significant new coupled THMC challenges to the industry.

This Special Issue seeks high-quality research and review articles on recent advances in coupled THMC studies in the petroleum, geothermal, and natural gas hydrate disciplines, with a focus on advances related to the challenges in hostile development environments. The submissions can report coupled THMC researches using theoretical, numerical, and experimental approaches, or a combination of them.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Wellbore stability and well integrity
• Lost circulation and wellbore strengthening
• Hydraulic fracturing
• Sand production
• Formation damage
• Reservoir compaction and subsidence
• Fault reactivation and seismicity
• Production of shale gas, heavy oil, geothermal, and natural gas hydrate