Feasibility of monitoring hydraulic fracturing using time-lapse audio-magnetotellurics

Geophysics ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. WB119-WB126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lanfang He ◽  
Xiumian Hu ◽  
Ligui Xu ◽  
Zhanxiang He ◽  
Weili Li
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Case History ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Microseismic Monitoring ◽  
High Signal ◽  
Hydraulic Fractures ◽  
Industry Waste ◽  
Fracturing Process

Hydraulic fracturing is widely used for initiating and subsequently propagating fractures in reservoir strata by means of a pressurized fluid to release oil and gas or to store industry waste. Downhole or surface microseismic monitoring is commonly used to characterize the hydraulically induced fractures. However, in some cases, downhole microseismic monitoring can be difficult due to the limitation imposed by boreholes. Surface microseismic monitoring often faces difficulties acquiring high signal-to-noise ratio data because of the on-site noise from hydraulic fracturing process. Research and field observations indicate that injecting conductive slurry or water into a strata may generate distinct time-lapse electromagnetic anomalies between pre- and posthydraulic fracturing. These anomalies provide a means for characterizing the hydraulic fracturing using time-lapse electromagnetic methods. We examined the time-lapse variation over an hour, one day, one month, and two years of observed audio-magnetotellurics (AMT) resistivity and the 1D and 3D AMT modeling result of the variation pre- and posthydraulic fracturing. There is also a successful case history of applying the time-lapse AMT to map hydraulic fractures. Observed data indicate that the variation of AMT resistivity is normally less than 6% apart from the data of the dead band and some noisy data. Modeling results show the variation pre- and posthydraulic fracturing is larger than 30% at the frequency point lower than 100 Hz. The case history indicates that time-lapse magnetotelluric monitoring may form a new way to characterize the hydraulic fracture.

scholarly journals Three-Dimensional Ultrasonic Imaging and Acoustic Emission Monitoring of Hydraulic Fractures in Tight Sandstone

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (19) ◽  
pp. 9352
Author(s):  
Wei Zhu ◽  
Shangxu Wang ◽  
Xu Chang ◽  
Hongyu Zhai ◽  
Hezhen Wu
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Emission ◽  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Rock Mechanics ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Ordos Basin ◽  
Water Injection ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Hydraulic Fractures ◽  
Tight Sandstone ◽  
Fracturing Process

Hydraulic fracturing is an important means for the development of tight oil and gas reservoirs. Laboratory rock mechanics experiments can be used to better understand the mechanism of hydraulic fracture. Therefore, in this study we carried out hydraulic fracturing experiments on Triassic Yanchang Formation tight sandstone from the Ordos Basin, China. Sparse tomography was used to obtain ultrasonic velocity images of the sample during hydraulic fracturing. Then, combining the changes in rock mechanics parameters, acoustic emission activities, and their spatial position, we analyzed the hydraulic fracturing process of tight sandstone under high differential stress in detail. The experimental results illuminate the fracture evolution processes of hydraulic fracturing. The competition between stress-induced dilatancy and fluid flow was observed during water injection. Moreover, the results prove that the “seismic pump” mode occurs in the dry region, while the “dilation hardening” and “seismic pump” modes occur simultaneously in the partially saturated region; that is to say, the hydraulic conditions dominate the failure mode of the rock.

Utilizing Pseudo Well Connections to Simulate Multi-Stage Hydraulic Fracturing - Example Based On the Study of a Tight Gas Asset

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aamir Lokhandwala ◽  
Vaibhav Joshi ◽  
Ankit Dutt
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Flow Simulation ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Development Plan ◽  
Hydraulic Fractures ◽  
Tight Gas ◽  
Gas Field ◽  
Field Development ◽  
Fracture Modeling

Abstract Hydraulic fracturing is a widespread well stimulation treatment in the oil and gas industry. It is particularly prevalent in shale gas fields, where virtually all production can be attributed to the practice of fracturing. It is also used in the context of tight oil and gas reservoirs, for example in deep-water scenarios where the cost of drilling and completion is very high; well productivity, which is dictated by hydraulic fractures, is vital. The correct modeling in reservoir simulation can be critical in such settings because hydraulic fracturing can dramatically change the flow dynamics of a reservoir. What presents a challenge in flow simulation due to hydraulic fractures is that they introduce effects that operate on a different length and time scale than the usual dynamics of a reservoir. Capturing these effects and utilizing them to advantage can be critical for any operator in context of a field development plan for any unconventional or tight field. This paper focuses on a study that was undertaken to compare different methods of simulating hydraulic fractures to formulate a field development plan for a tight gas field. To maintaing the confidentiality of data and to showcase only the technical aspect of the workflow, we will refer to the asset as Field A in subsequent sections of this paper. Field A is a low permeability (0.01md-0.1md), tight (8% to 12% porosity) gas-condensate (API ~51deg and CGR~65 stb/mmscf) reservoir at ~3000m depth. Being structurally complex, it has a large number of erosional features and pinch-outs. The study involved comparing analytical fracture modeling, explicit modeling using local grid refinements, tartan gridding, pseudo-well connection approach and full-field unconventional fracture modeling. The result of the study was to use, for the first time for Field A, a system of generating pseudo well connections to simulate hydraulic fractures. The approach was found to be efficient both terms of replicating field data for a 10 year period while drastically reducing simulation runtime for the subsequent 10 year-period too. It helped the subsurface team to test multiple scenarios in a limited time-frame leading to improved project management.

The Fine-Structure Interpretation and Favorable Objective Evaluation of Quanyiduan in Fulongquan Area

2014 ◽  
Vol 529 ◽  
pp. 286-290
Author(s):  
Min Hou ◽  
Zhen Qin ◽  
Zhong Hao Wang
Keyword(s):  
Fine Structure ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Comprehensive Evaluation ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Objective Evaluation ◽  
High Signal ◽  
Velocity Mapping ◽  
Structural Interpretation ◽  
Target Layer ◽  
Exploration And Development

According to the needs of exploration and development, the main purpose of the Fulongquan region layer (Quanyiduan) to explain the fine structure and a favorable objective evaluation. Fine structural interpretation based on high-resolution, high fidelity and high signal to noise ratio of seismic data, the use of Landmark Interaction software layer on the purpose well - seismic calibration, determine the target layer of seismic reflection and seismic wave group phase characteristics of other wells in the area of information work carried out under the lateral auxiliary tracking method with variable velocity mapping layers of the structure plan aims to implement the target zone traps. In the structural interpretation based on the use of coherent technology and time slice for fault identification, combined with relevant geological data on the target layer of oil a comprehensive evaluation, selection of a good oil and gas traps, providing for the exploration and development goals.

scholarly journals Development of high-precision distributed wireless microseismic acquisition stations

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuaiqing Qiao ◽  
Hongmei Duan ◽  
Qisheng Zhang ◽  
Qimao Zhang ◽  
Shuhan Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Acquisition ◽  
High Precision ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Data Communication ◽  
Microseismic Monitoring ◽  
Acquisition System ◽  
Seismic Exploration ◽  
High Signal ◽  
Control Board ◽  
High Data

Abstract. In recent years, owing to the shortage of oil and gas resources and increased difficulty in mining, traditional (wired) microseismic monitoring equipment has been unable to meet the needs of energy exploitation. Therefore, it is necessary to develop new high-precision seismic exploration and data acquisition systems. In this study, we combined advance acquisition systems with wireless technology to develop a new wireless microseismic acquisition system. The hardware circuit of the acquisition system mainly included a data acquisition board and a main control board. High-precision analog-to-digital conversion and digital filtering technologies were used to provide data with high signal-to-noise ratios, resolution, and fidelity to the acquisition stations. Key technologies were integrated into the ARM of the main control board. Reliable GPS technology was employed to realize synchronous acquisitions among various acquisition stations, and WIFI technology was used to achieve wireless data communication between acquisition stations and the central station, thus improving the data transmission speed and accuracy. After conducting a series of evaluation tests, it was found that the system was stable, convenient to use, and had high data accuracy, therefore providing significant support for the solution to problems encountered in current oil and gas exploration processes, such as the complicated environment and inconvenient construction.

Hydraulic Fracturing Using Heavy Brine and Microseismic Monitoring in Yufutsu Oil and Gas Field

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryohei Kamitsuji ◽  
Ken Nagai ◽  
Yu Matsuno ◽  
Yutaka Ohsaki ◽  
Tetsuya Tamagawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Microseismic Monitoring ◽  
Gas Field ◽  
Oil And Gas Field

Simultaneous microseismic event localization and source mechanism determination

Geophysics ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. KS1-KS9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oksana Zhebel ◽  
Leo Eisner
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Moment Tensor ◽  
Microseismic Monitoring ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Source Mechanism ◽  
Seismic Events ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Microseismic Event

Microseismic monitoring has become a tool of choice for the development and optimization of oil and gas production from unconventional reservoirs. The primary objective of (micro) seismic monitoring includes localization of (micro) seismic events and characterization of their source mechanisms. Most seismic events are of a nonexplosive nature, and thus, there are waveform (polarity) differences among receivers. Specifically, double-couple sources represented a challenge for migration-based localization techniques. We developed and applied a new migration-type location technique combined with source mechanism inversion that allowed for constructive interference of signal in seismic waveforms. The procedure included constructing image functions by stacking the amplitudes with compensated polarity changes. The compensation weights were calculated by using moment tensor inversion. This method did not require any picking of arrivals at individual receivers, but it required receivers to be distributed in multiple azimuths and offsets. This made the technique suitable for surface or near-surface monitoring, in which a low signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) can be overcome by stacking. Furthermore, the advantage of this technique was that in addition to the position in time and space, we also determined the source mechanism. We determined with numerical tests that the proposed technique can be used for detection and location of events with S/Ns as low as 0.05 at individual (prestacked) receivers. Furthermore, we found that other source mechanism parameters such as magnitude, volumetric, or shear components of the source mechanism were not suitable for the location. Finally, we applied the proposed technique to a microseismic event of moment magnitude [Formula: see text] induced during the hydraulic fracturing treatment of a gas shale reservoir in North America.

An Efficient Numerical Hybrid Model for Multiphase Flow in Deformable Fractured-Shale Reservoirs

SPE Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (04) ◽  
pp. 1412-1437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xia Yan ◽  
ZhaoQin Huang ◽  
Jun Yao ◽  
Yang Li ◽  
Dongyan Fan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Hybrid Model ◽  
Hydraulic Fractures ◽  
Fluid Exchange ◽  
Flow Process ◽  
Numerical Examples ◽  
Fracturing Process ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Shale Reservoirs ◽  
Porosity Model

Summary After hydraulic fracturing, a shale reservoir usually has multiscale fractures and becomes more stress-sensitive. In this work, an adaptive hybrid model is proposed to simulate hydromechanical coupling processes in such fractured-shale reservoirs during the production period (i.e., the hydraulic-fracturing process is not considered and cannot be simulated). In our hybrid model, the single-porosity model is applied in the region outside the stimulated reservoir volume (SRV), and the matrix and natural/induced fractures in the SRV region are modeled using a double-porosity model that can accurately simulate the matrix/fracture fluid exchange during the entire transient period. Meanwhile, the fluid flow in hydraulic fractures is modeled explicitly with the embedded-discrete-fracture model (EDFM), and a stabilized extended-finite-element-method (XFEM) formulation using the polynomial-pressure-projection (PPP) technique is applied to simulate mechanical processes. The developed stabilized XFEM formulation can avoid the displacement oscillation on hydraulic-fracture interfaces. Then a modified fixed-stress sequential-implicit method is applied to solve the hybrid model, in which mixed-space discretization [i.e., finite-volume method (FVM) for flow process and stabilized XFEM for geomechanics] is used. The robustness of the proposed model is demonstrated through several numerical examples. In conclusion, several key factors for gas exploitation are investigated, such as adsorption, Klinkenberg effect, capillary pressure, and fracture deformation. In this study, all the numerical examples are 2D, and the gravity effect is neglected in these simulations. In addition, we assume there is no oil phase in the shale reservoirs, thus the gas/water two-phase model is used to simulate the flow in these reservoirs.

scholarly journals A multi-perforation staged fracturing experimental study on hydraulic fracture initiation and propagation

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 2466-2484
Author(s):  
Jianguang Wei ◽  
Saipeng Huang ◽  
Guangwei Hao ◽  
Jiangtao Li ◽  
Xiaofeng Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Hydraulic Fracture ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Fracture Initiation ◽  
Fracture Network ◽  
Hydraulic Fractures ◽  
Breakdown Pressure ◽  
Tight Sandstone ◽  
Heterogeneous Samples ◽  
Initiation And Propagation

Hydraulic fracture initiation and propagation are extremely important on deciding the production capacity and are crucial for oil and gas exploration and development. Based on a self-designed system, multi-perforation cluster-staged fracturing in thick tight sandstone reservoir was simulated in the laboratory. Moreover, the technology of staged fracturing during casing completion was achieved by using a preformed perforated wellbore. Three hydraulic fracturing methods, including single-perforation cluster fracturing, multi-perforation cluster conventional fracturing and multi-perforation cluster staged fracturing, were applied and studied, respectively. The results clearly indicate that the hydraulic fractures resulting from single-perforation cluster fracturing are relatively simple, which is difficult to form fracture network. In contrast, multi-perforation cluster-staged fracturing has more probability to produce complex fractures including major fracture and its branched fractures, especially in heterogeneous samples. Furthermore, the propagation direction of hydraulic fractures tends to change in heterogeneous samples, which is more likely to form a multi-directional hydraulic fracture network. The fracture area is greatly increased when the perforation cluster density increases in multi-perforation cluster conventional fracturing and multi-perforation cluster-staged fracturing. Moreover, higher perforation cluster densities and larger stage numbers are beneficial to hydraulic fracture initiation. The breakdown pressure in homogeneous samples is much higher than that in heterogeneous samples during hydraulic fracturing. In addition, the time of first fracture initiation has the trend that the shorter the initiation time is, the higher the breakdown pressure is. The results of this study provide meaningful suggestions for enhancing the production mechanism of multi-perforation cluster staged fracturing.

Microseismic Monitoring of Hydraulic Fracturing – Data Interpretation Methodology with an Example from Pomerania

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michał Antoszkiewicz ◽  
Mateusz Kmieć ◽  
Paweł Szewczuk ◽  
Marek Szkodo ◽  
Robert Jankowski
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Velocity Model ◽  
Data Interpretation ◽  
Microseismic Monitoring ◽  
Grid Search ◽  
Moment Tensors ◽  
Spatial Image ◽  
Microseismic Events ◽  
Breakage Mechanism

Microseismic monitoring is a method for localizing fractures induced by hydraulic fracturing in search for shale gas. The aim of this paper is to conduct the data interpretation of the microseismic monitoring based on the results from Pom-erania region of Poland. The data has been collected from an array of geophones deployed on the surface. Ground vibrations have been recorded and analyzed for fracture location, magnitude and breakage mechanism. A velocity model of underlying formations has been used for successful microseismic monitoring. The model has been further tuned with signal from perfora-tion shots of known location. Imaging of events has been done using software MicSeis, which utilizes diffraction stacking of waveforms from multiple stations to image microseismic events with low signal-to-noise ratio. The imaging of microseismic events in MicSeis uses a grid search over all possible origin times and locations in the selected rock volume. The seismic moment tensors are automatically determined from the amplitudes from the grid search procedure and are used to model po-larities of events which then enhance constructive interference. Function characterizing a maximum stack per time sample have been calculated over whole volume and analyzed using the STA/LTA algorithm. Once the event has been detected in time, location has been determined through analysis of the 3D spatial image function. The procedure has been used to detect five events during hydraulic fracturing in Pomerania.

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