A new method for determining fluid flow paths during hydraulic fracturing
Although hydraulic fracturing is a popular method for increasing the productivity of oil and gas wells, there is no direct way other than drilling additional boreholes to determine where the injected fluid has gone and thus what direction a fracture has propagated. Information about fluid flow paths is important for designing subsequent fracturing operations for nearby wells. Determining the locations and orientations of permeable fractures is also important in studies of potential toxic waste repositories where it is critical to understand fluid flow paths. We have developed a method for determining the orientations and locations of fractures along which fluid flows during hydraulic fracturing. The method is based on accurate determination of the locations of microseismic events, or microearthquakes, that accompany the hydraulic injection. By applying a pattern recognition technique to the locations of events from one hydraulic fracturing operation we find planes in the data along which we presume that the fluid has traveled. The planes determined using our method intersect the injection borehole and a second, nearby borehole, in regions where other data indicate that fractures are present.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 6306392
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-87-878; CONF-871012-1; ON: DE87007489
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Wed Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1986
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Related Subjects
02 PETROLEUM
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COMMINUTION
DATA ANALYSIS
EARTHQUAKES
FAILURES
FRACTURED RESERVOIRS
FRACTURES
FRACTURING
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
MICROEARTHQUAKES
ORIENTATION
PATTERN RECOGNITION
SEISMIC EVENTS
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
03 NATURAL GAS
030900 -- Natural Gas-- Artificial Stimulation
Plowshare-- (-1989)
052002 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
150906 -- Geothermal Engineering-- Reservoir Stimulation & Extraction Technology
COMMINUTION
DATA ANALYSIS
EARTHQUAKES
FAILURES
FRACTURED RESERVOIRS
FRACTURES
FRACTURING
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
MICROEARTHQUAKES
ORIENTATION
PATTERN RECOGNITION
SEISMIC EVENTS