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Title: Fracture hydromechanical response measured by fiber optic distributed acoustic sensing at milliHertz frequencies: Fracture Hydromechanics From DAS

Abstract

A new method of measuring dynamic strain in boreholes was used to record fracture displacement in response to head oscillation. Fiber optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) was used to measure strain at mHz frequencies, rather than the Hz to kHz frequencies typical for seismic and acoustic monitoring. Fiber optic cable was mechanically coupled to the wall of a borehole drilled into fractured crystalline bedrock. Oscillating hydraulic signals were applied at a companion borehole 30 m away. The DAS instrument measured fracture displacement at frequencies of less than 1 mHz and amplitudes of less than 1 nm, in response to fluid pressure changes of less 20 Pa (2 mm H2O). Displacement was linearly related to the log of effective stress, a relationship typically explained by the effect of self-affine fracture roughness on fracture closure. These results imply that fracture roughness affects closure even when displacement is a million times smaller than the fracture aperture.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [1];  [1];  [2]; ORCiD logo [2]
  1. California State Univ. (CalState), Long Beach, CA (United States)
  2. Silixa LLC, Houston, TX (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
California State Univ. (CalState), Long Beach, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
OSTI Identifier:
1533001
Grant/Contract Number:  
EE0006763
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Geophysical Research Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 44; Journal Issue: 14; Journal ID: ISSN 0094-8276
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
58 GEOSCIENCES; Geology

Citation Formats

Becker, M. W., Ciervo, C., Cole, M., Coleman, T., and Mondanos, M. Fracture hydromechanical response measured by fiber optic distributed acoustic sensing at milliHertz frequencies: Fracture Hydromechanics From DAS. United States: N. p., 2017. Web. doi:10.1002/2017gl073931.
Becker, M. W., Ciervo, C., Cole, M., Coleman, T., & Mondanos, M. Fracture hydromechanical response measured by fiber optic distributed acoustic sensing at milliHertz frequencies: Fracture Hydromechanics From DAS. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017gl073931
Becker, M. W., Ciervo, C., Cole, M., Coleman, T., and Mondanos, M. Wed . "Fracture hydromechanical response measured by fiber optic distributed acoustic sensing at milliHertz frequencies: Fracture Hydromechanics From DAS". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017gl073931. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1533001.
@article{osti_1533001,
title = {Fracture hydromechanical response measured by fiber optic distributed acoustic sensing at milliHertz frequencies: Fracture Hydromechanics From DAS},
author = {Becker, M. W. and Ciervo, C. and Cole, M. and Coleman, T. and Mondanos, M.},
abstractNote = {A new method of measuring dynamic strain in boreholes was used to record fracture displacement in response to head oscillation. Fiber optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) was used to measure strain at mHz frequencies, rather than the Hz to kHz frequencies typical for seismic and acoustic monitoring. Fiber optic cable was mechanically coupled to the wall of a borehole drilled into fractured crystalline bedrock. Oscillating hydraulic signals were applied at a companion borehole 30 m away. The DAS instrument measured fracture displacement at frequencies of less than 1 mHz and amplitudes of less than 1 nm, in response to fluid pressure changes of less 20 Pa (2 mm H2O). Displacement was linearly related to the log of effective stress, a relationship typically explained by the effect of self-affine fracture roughness on fracture closure. These results imply that fracture roughness affects closure even when displacement is a million times smaller than the fracture aperture.},
doi = {10.1002/2017gl073931},
journal = {Geophysical Research Letters},
number = 14,
volume = 44,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jul 12 00:00:00 EDT 2017},
month = {Wed Jul 12 00:00:00 EDT 2017}
}

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Cited by: 33 works
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