Integrating distributed acoustic sensing, borehole 3C geophone array, and surface seismic array data to identify long-period long-duration seismic events during stimulation of a Marcellus Shale gas reservoir

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. SA1-SA10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Payam Kavousi Ghahfarokhi ◽  
Thomas H. Wilson ◽  
Timothy Robert Carr ◽  
Abhash Kumar ◽  
Richard Hammack ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracture ◽  
Seismic Data ◽  
Fiber Optic ◽  
Marcellus Shale ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Seismic Array ◽  
Long Period ◽  
Long Duration ◽  
Distributed Acoustic Sensing ◽  
Stimulation Of

Microseismic monitoring by downhole geophones, surface seismic, fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS), and distributed temperature sensing (DTS) observations were made during the hydraulic fracture stimulation of the MIP-3H well in the Marcellus Shale in northern West Virginia. DAS and DTS data measure the fiber strain and temperature, respectively, along a fiber-optic cable cemented behind the casing of the well. The presence of long-period long-duration (LPLD) events is evaluated in the borehole geophones, DAS data, and surface seismic data of one of the MIP-3H stimulated stages. LPLD events are generally overlooked during the conventional processing of microseismic data, but they represent significant nonbrittle deformation produced during hydraulic fracture stimulation. In a single stage that was examined, 160 preexisting fractures and two faults of suboptimal orientation are noted in the image logs. We identified two low-frequency ([Formula: see text]) events of large temporal duration (tens of seconds) by comparing the surface seismic data, borehole geophone data, and DAS amplitude spectra of one of the MIP-3H stages. Spectrograms of DAS traces in time and depth reveal that the first low-frequency event might be an injection noise that has footprints on all DAS channels above the stimulated stage. However, the surface seismic array indicates an LPLD event concurrent with the first low-frequency event on DAS. The second LPLD event on DAS data and surface seismic data is related to a local deformation and does not have footprints on all DAS channels. The interpreted events have duration less than 100 s with frequencies concentrated below 10 Hz, and are accompanied by microseismic events.

Fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing of microseismicity, strain and temperature during hydraulic fracturing

Geophysics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. D11-D23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Karrenbach ◽  
Steve Cole ◽  
Andrew Ridge ◽  
Kevin Boone ◽  
Dan Kahn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Hydraulic Fracture ◽  
Fiber Optic ◽  
Data Set ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Acoustic Sensing ◽  
Fiber Optic Technology ◽  
Physical Effects ◽  
Distributed Acoustic Sensing ◽  
Temperature Strain

Hydraulic fracturing operations in unconventional reservoirs are typically monitored using geophones located either at the surface or in the adjacent wellbores. A new approach to record hydraulic stimulations uses fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS). A fiber-optic cable was installed in a treatment well in the Meramec formation to monitor the hydraulic fracture stimulation of an unconventional reservoir. A variety of physical effects, such as temperature, strain, and microseismicity are measured and correlated with the treatment program during hydraulic fracturing of the well containing the fiber and also an adjacent well. The analysis of this DAS data set demonstrates that current fiber-optic technology provides enough sensitivity to detect a considerable number of microseismic events and that these events can be integrated with temperature and strain measurements for comprehensive hydraulic fracture monitoring.

Long-period long-duration seismic events during hydraulic stimulation of shale and tight-gas reservoirs — Part 2: Location and mechanisms

Geophysics ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 78 (6) ◽  
pp. KS109-KS117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Indrajit Das ◽  
Mark D. Zoback
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Pressure ◽  
Seismic Events ◽  
Tight Gas ◽  
Gas Reservoirs ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Hydraulic Stimulation ◽  
Tight Gas Reservoirs ◽  
Long Period ◽  
Long Duration ◽  
Stimulation Of

Long-period long-duration (LPLD) seismic events that have been observed during hydraulic stimulation of shale-gas and tight-gas reservoirs appear to represent slow shear slip on relatively large faults. Within the limitations of the recording geometry, we determine the areas in the reservoirs where the events are located in two case studies in the Barnett shale. In one data set, LPLD events appear to occur in the region where the density of natural fractures as well as the fluid pressure during pumping were highest. In the other data set, the LPLD events are observed to occur between two wells and seem to establish a hydraulic connection between them. In both data sets, the LPLD events occur in areas with very few located microearthquakes. A combination of factors such as high fluid pressure and/or high clay content is potentially responsible for the slowly slipping faults. The LPLD events appear to be occurring only on faults large enough to produce a sequence of slow slip events. We suggest that these slowly slipping faults contribute appreciably to the stimulation of these extremely low-permeability reservoirs and hence mapping the distribution of faults and fractures and areas with rock properties that favor slow, sustained slip, can help in optimizing production.

Case study of hydraulic fracture monitoring using multiwell integrated analysis based on low-frequency DAS data

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (11) ◽  
pp. 794-800
Author(s):  
Masaru Ichikawa ◽  
Shinnosuke Uchida ◽  
Masafumi Katou ◽  
Isao Kurosawa ◽  
Kohei Tamura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracture ◽  
Fiber Optic ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Fracture Propagation ◽  
Propagation Direction ◽  
Integrated Analysis ◽  
Fiber Direction ◽  
Distributed Temperature Sensing ◽  
Fiber Optic Cable ◽  
Cumulative Strain

Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) is an effective technique for hydraulic fracture monitoring. It can potentially constrain fracture propagation direction and time while monitoring strain perturbation, such as stress shadowing. In this study, we acquired passive DAS and distributed temperature sensing (DTS) data throughout the entire fracturing operations of adjacent production wells with varying offset lengths from the fiber-optic cable in the Montney tight gas area. We applied data processing techniques to the DAS data to extract low-frequency components (less than 0.5 Hz) and to construct the strain rate and cumulative strain maps for detecting responses related to fracture hits along the fiber-optic cable. We used low-frequency DAS (LF-DAS) results to estimate the fracture hit position and time, and in certain cases, to additionally estimate the fracture connection. By integrating LF-DAS results with DTS results, we detected the temperature changes around the compression response near the fracture hit position and time. Furthermore, we observed that timing of the fracture hit can be constrained more precisely by using high-frequency DAS data (greater than 10 Hz). We estimated the fracture propagation direction and speed from the estimated fracture hit position and time. The fracture propagation direction deviated slightly from a perpendicular line to the fiber direction. In addition, as estimated from the first fracture hit time, the fracture length and fluid injection volume had a proportional relationship. Due to challenges associated with the data, it is important to design data acquisition geometry and fracturing operations on the premise of acquiring LF-DAS data. It is also important to apply an additional noise reduction process to the data.

Long-period, long-duration seismic events during hydraulic stimulation of shale and tight-gas reservoirs — Part 1: Waveform characteristics

Geophysics ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 78 (6) ◽  
pp. KS97-KS108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Indrajit Das ◽  
Mark D. Zoback
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Seismic Events ◽  
Tight Gas ◽  
Gas Reservoirs ◽  
Hydraulic Stimulation ◽  
Tight Gas Reservoirs ◽  
Long Period ◽  
Long Duration ◽  
Low Amplitude ◽  
Stimulation Of

Long-period long-duration (LPLD) seismic events are relatively low-amplitude signals that have been observed during hydraulic fracturing in several shale-gas and tight-gas reservoirs. These events are similar in appearance to tectonic tremor sequences observed in subduction zones and transform fault boundaries. LPLD events are predominantly composed of S-waves, but weaker P-waves have also been identified. In some cases, microearthquakes are observed during the events. Based on the similarity with tectonic tremors and our observations of several impulsive S-wave arrivals within the LPLD events, we interpret the LPLD events as resulting from the superposition of slow shear-slip events on relatively large faults. Most large LPLD waveforms appear to start as a relatively slower, low-amplitude precursor, lacking clear impulsive arrivals. We estimate the energy carried by the larger LPLD events to be [Formula: see text] times greater than a [Formula: see text] microseismic event that is typical of the events that occur during hydraulic stimulation. Over the course of the entire stimulation activity of five wells in the Barnett formation (each hydraulically fractured ten times), the LPLD events were found to cumulatively release over an order of magnitude higher energy than microearthquakes. The large size of these LPLD events, compared to microearthquakes, suggests that they represent slip on relatively large faults during stimulation of these extremely low-permeability reservoirs. Moreover, they imply that the accompanying slow slip on faults, probably mostly undetected, is a significant deformation process during multistage hydraulic fracturing.

Long-period, long-duration seismicity observed during hydraulic fracturing of the Marcellus Shale in Greene County, Pennsylvania

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 580-587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhash Kumar ◽  
Erich Zorn ◽  
Richard Hammack ◽  
William Harbert
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Marcellus Shale ◽  
Long Period ◽  
Long Duration ◽  
Greene County

Sources of primary and secondary microseisms

1994 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 142-148
Author(s):  
Robert K. Cessaro
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Noise ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Seismic Array ◽  
Wave Number ◽  
Ocean Bottom ◽  
Wide Angle ◽  
Frequency Wave ◽  
Long Period ◽  
Seismic Records ◽  
Near Shore

Abstract Low-frequency (0.01 to 0.2 Hz) seismic noise, arising from pelagic storms, is commonly observed as microseisms in seismic records from land and ocean bottom detectors. One principal research objective, in the study of microseisms, has been to locate their sources. This article reports on an analysis of primary and secondary microseisms (i.e., near and double the frequency of ocean swell) recorded simultaneously on three land-based long-period arrays (Alaskan Long Period Array, Montana Large Aperture Seismic Array, and Norwegian Seismic Array) during the early 1970s. Reliable microseism source locations are determined by wide-angle triangulation, using the azimuths of approach obtained from frequency-wave number analysis of the records of microseisms propagating across these arrays. Two near-shore sources of both primary and secondary microseisms appear to be persistent in the sense that they are associated with essentially constant near-shore locations. Secondary microseisms are observed to emanate from wide-ranging pelagic locations in addition to the same near-shore locations determined for the primary microseisms.

Geomechanical Template for Distributed Acoustic Sensing Strain Patterns during Hydraulic Fracturing

SPE Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Yunhui Tan ◽  
Shugang Wang ◽  
Margaretha C. M. Rijken ◽  
Kelly Hughes ◽  
Ivan Lim Chen Ning ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element ◽  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Strain Rate ◽  
Hydraulic Fracture ◽  
Strain Field ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Fracture Propagation ◽  
Fracture Network ◽  
Hydraulic Fractures ◽  
Distributed Acoustic Sensing

Summary Recently more distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) data have been collected during hydraulic fracturing in shale. Low-frequency DAS signals show patterns that are intuitively consistent with the understanding of the strain field around hydraulic fractures. This study uses a fracture simulator combined with a finite element solver to further understand the various patterns of the strain field caused by hydraulic fracturing. The results can serve as a “type-curve” template for the further interpretation of cross-well strain field plots. Incorporating detailed pump schedule and fracturing fluid/proppant properties, we use a hydraulic fracture simulator to generate fracture geometries, which are then passed to a finite element solver as boundary conditions for elastic-static calculation of the strain field. Because the finite element calculated strain is a tensor, it needs to be projected along the monitoring well trajectory to be comparable with the DAS strain, which is uniaxial. Moreover, the calculated strain field is transformed into a time domain using constant fracture propagation velocity. Strain rate is further derived from the simulated strain field using differentiation along the fracture propagation direction. Scenarios including a single planar hydraulic fracture, a single fracture with a discrete fracture network (DFN), and multiple planar hydraulic fractures in both vertical and horizontal directions were studied. The scenarios can be differentiated in the strain patterns on the basis of the finite element simulation results. In general, there is a tensile heart-shaped zone in front of the propagating fracture tip shown along the horizontal strain direction on both strain and strain rate plots. On the sides, there are compressional zones parallel to the fracture. The strain field projects beyond the depth where the hydraulic fracture is present. Patterns from strain rate can be used to distinguish whether the fracture is intersecting the fiber. Along the vertical direction, the transition zone depicts the upper boundary of the fracture. A complex fracture network with DFN shows a much more complex pattern compared with a single planar fracture. Multiple planar fractures show polarity reversals in horizontal fiber because of interactions between fractures. Data from the Hydraulic Fracturing Test Site 2 (HFTS2) experiment were used to validate the simulated results. The application of the study is to provide a template to better interpret hydraulic fracture characteristics using low-frequency DAS strain-monitoring data. To our understanding, there are no comprehensive templates for engineers to understand the strain signals from cross-well fiber monitoring. The results of this study will guide engineers toward better optimization of well spacing and fracturing design to minimize well interference and improve efficiency.

The seismic sound of deep volcanic processes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Cesca ◽  
Torsten Dahm ◽  
Sebastian Heimann ◽  
Martin Hensch ◽  
Jean Letort ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Progressive Failure ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Moho Depth ◽  
Seismic Signals ◽  
Magma Intrusion ◽  
Long Period ◽  
First Case ◽  
Long Duration ◽  
Volcanic Processes ◽  
Fluid Transfer

<p>Deep volcanic processes and magma intrusion episodes through the crust are typically accompanied by a variety of seismic signals, including volcano-tectonic (VT) seismicity, very long period (VLP) signals and deep low-frequency (DLF) events. These signals can reveal the migration of magma batches and the resonance of magma reservoirs and dikes. The recent 2018-2019 unrest offshore the island of Mayotte, Comoros archipelago, represents the first case of a geophysically monitored magmatic intrusion from a deep sub-Moho reservoir through the whole crust reaching the surface. At Mayotte, a huge magma movement and the following drainage of a deep reservoir were accompanied by a complex seismic sequence, including a massive VT swarm and energetic long-duration very long period (VLP) signals recorded globally. The identification and characterization of ~7000 VTs and ~400 VLPs by applying waveforms-based seismological methods allowed us to reconst the unrest phases: early VTs, migrating upward, were driven by the ascent of a magmatic dike, and tracked its propagating from Moho depth to the seafloor, while later VTs marked the progressive failure of the reservoir’s roof, triggering its resonance and the generation of long-duration VLPs. At the Eifel, Germany, weak DLFs earthquakes have been recorded over the last decades and located along a deep channel-like structure, extending from sub-Moho depth (~40-45 km) to the upper crust (~5-10 km). While not showing any clear migration, they reveal a different way of fluid transfer from depth towards the surface, possibly marking intermediate small reservoirs along a feeding channel. Here, brittle failure occurring in the vicinity of the reservoirs may cause their resonance. The Mayotte and Eifel observations are example of end member models for deep fluid transfer processes through the crust. These examples show that, by listening to seismic signals at different distances and by analysing them with modern waveform based methods, we can provide a detailed picture of deep magmatic processes and enable future eruption early warning.</p>

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