Presenter: Sudhendu Kashikar, VP Completions Evaluation
Date: September 20, 2016
Title: Designing More Efficient and Effective Treatment Plans Using Full Moment Tensor Analysis
Description: Moment tensors are valuable tools for interpreting microseismic data from hydraulic fracturing as they describe the dynamic geomechanical response of the earth to the hydraulic treatment. The moment tensors and the focal mechanisms derived from them are becoming increasingly more sought after as a means to help integrate microseismic data with fracture modeling, reservoir engineering, and completions optimization.
Automatic calculation of moment tensors offers a distinct advantage in that it enables fast and efficient evaluation of numerous microseismic events and their possible source mechanisms with little need for analyst intervention. This facilitates a more detailed and accurate picture of stress and resultant fracture network both spatially and temporally, along with quantification of the net pressure required for activating natural and induced fractures in the rock. Being able to determine temporal changes in the stress fields offers a look into how the treatment is changing the stress field and provides a pathway to modify and alter the treatment to generate the desired fracture complexity. Such detailed moment tensor analysis makes it possible for the completion engineer to use microseismic data in a more deterministic way so they can customize specific details of the treatment schedules and parameters such as rates, pressures and proppant loading to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of hydraulic fracturing.
