Correlation of surface microseismic event distribution to water production and faults mapped on 3D seismic data: A West Texas case study

Abstract

The use of microseismic techniques to map hydraulic fracture treatments has increased dramatically in recent years. During this time, microseismic monitoring has grown from a technical curiosity into an established method for determining the spatial distribution and therefore effectiveness of well completions in tight reservoirs. While both surface and downhole microseismic monitoring techniques are widely used throughout the industry, surface microseismic methods have typically been met with more skepticism. We present a case study from West Texas in which surface microseismic results from two adjacent wells are validated by both 3D seismic and production data.

Advances and Challenges of Reservoir Characterization: A Review of the Current State-of-the-Art

“…A method to improve resolution for amplitude picking through recognizing the vertical distribution of false hypocenter estimates for has been purposed by Duncan et al (2008). Surface monitoring technique of hydraulic fracture stimulation also has been developed (Abbott et al, 2007;Kochnev et al, 2007;Barker, 2009;Hall and Kilpatrick, 2009;Keller et al, 2009;Robein et al, 2009). Usually linear groups of vertical phones are laid out along the spokes of a wheel centered on the wellhead of the treatment well.…”