The finite element approach is used to solve a variety of difficulties, including well bore stability, fluid flow production and injection wells, mechanical issues and others. Geomechanics is a term that includes a number of important aspects in the petroleum industry, such as studying the changes that can be occur in oil reservoirs and geological structures, and providing a picture of oil well stability during drilling. The current review study concerned about the advancements in the application of the finite element method (FEM) in the geomechanical field over a course of century.

Firstly, the study presented the early advancements of this method by development the structural framework of stress, make numerical computer solution for 2D thermal stress then stress analysis of the airplane. The second part focused on the most recent developments of FEM, and this method generates new techniques for solving these problems, such as the 1D, 2D, and 3D finite element models; the dynamic program method (DPM); the finite discrete element method (FDEM); and the finite element extended method (FEXM). The third part of this study presented the reservoir finite element simulation used for injection well testing inside unconsolidated oil sand reservoirs. Also improvement of the FE software program for the analyses, finite element extended approach to convert a 3D fault model were introduced. In addition, the study explored the development of a 3D and 4D model utilizing Visage for FEM analysis for geomechanics investigations, and the software eclipse for pressure drop prediction in carbonate reservoir weak formation and presented the Finite-Element Smoothed Particle Method (FESPM).