Seismic Monitoring of Hydraulic Fracture Treatments
By: Tom Davis, Professor of Geophysics, Colorado School of Mines and Director Reservoir Characterization Project
Multicomponent seismic monitoring enables time-lapse monitoring with the use of shear waves. Shear waves are horizontally polarized waves that travel in the subsurface and are useful for detecting natural and induced fractures in the subsurface. Time-lapse monitoring of hydraulic fracture treatments in two horizontal wells using multicomponent seismology was first conducted by Talisman Energy in Pouce Coupe Field, Alberta. Since that time the Reservoir Characterization Project has been undertaking extensive research of the Pouce Coupe data set in conjunction with Talisman. The outcome has been robust testing to determine the viability of the technology to monitor hydraulic fracturing treatments.
Seismic monitoring of hydraulic fracturing can aid in the understanding of fracture complexity and connectivity associated with hydraulic fracturing. Fracture complexity often involves the interaction of the hydraulic fracturing process with the natural fractures in the subsurface. Due to the sensitivity of shear waves to fractures and fracture density the technology has the ability to help us understand what the effective connected volume is and how it changes over time.
Thomas L. Davis Tom is currently Professor of Geophysics at Colorado School of Mines. At Mines he guides the leading edge research of the Reservoir Characterization Project, whose mission is to develop and apply time-lapse (4-D), multicomponent (3-C and 9-C) seismology to improved recovery. He has been an organizer of technical conferences, workshops and Continuing Education programs for the SEG, SPE, AAPG and EAGE. Tom was the SEG’s Second Vice President in 1989, Distinguished Lecturer in Spring, 1995 and Technical Program Co-Chairman in 1996. He received the C. J. Mackenzie Award from the Engineering College of the University of Saskatchewan in 1997, the Milton B. Dobrin Award from the University of Houston in 1998, the Colorado School of Mines Dean’s Excellence Award in 1999 and the RMAG/DGS Best Paper Award at the tenth annual 3-D Symposium in 2004. In 2007 he was awarded the Melvin F. Coolbaugh Memorial Award from Colorado School of Mines. In 2009 he was co-recipient of the Best Poster Award from SEG and in 2011 the Best Poster Award of the SW section of AAPG. IN 2014, RCP was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award of the SEG.