MSI provides advanced geological interpretation products such as Discrete Fracture Networks and Stimulated Reservoir Volume to maximize production.
MicroSeismic, Inc. (MSI) offers a geological analysis of induced microseismicity, including rock mechanics. This geological interpretation provides a better understanding of the processes that may have been in play during the stimulation. Incorporating available geological information into the microseismic results leads to a more comprehensive interpretation, allowing for a better prediction of frac behavior in subsequent wells.
There’s a lot at stake if you drill into a fault zone.
Faults take on a slurry without increasing pressure in the reservoir, wasting lots of time and material.
It’s not always obvious when you hit a fault zone, either – in fact, it could take days of pumping before you lose pressure or recognize decreased performance.
Faults are also pathways that, if reactivated, can tap aquifers that water out the well, or thief zones that reduce pressure support—both of which can kill the project.
MicroSeismic can detect faults that are below the resolution of conventional seismic imaging by implementing its unique FracStar® and Buried Array™ acquisition systems. Real-time monitoring of multiple wells across a reservoir provides important structural data that allow operators to avoid troublesome faults when planning their perforation zones.
Knowing your faults (and avoiding them!) is one of the best ways to maximize stimulation and reduce operating costs by saving valuable time and materials that would otherwise be pumped into undetected fault zones that could cripple well production.
MSI’s geological analysis help answer several important questions:
- Are microseismicity trends parallel to the maximum stress orientation?
- Are existing natural fractures being reactivated?
- What is the significance of multiple trends in the microseismicity?
- What failure mechanisms are present?
Analysis of local and regional geology also yields vital information that includes:
- Verification of visible trends as stimulated fractures
- Identifying the relationship of failure mechanisms and mechanical events to hydraulic fracturing
- Providing an explanation for fracture trends that deviate from the expected in-situ stress orientation.
MSI’s FracStar® and BuriedArray™ microseismic data acquisition services allow for full source mechanism inversion analysis, a benefit not possible using conventional downhole monitoring. Such analysis provides the orientation of the fault or fracture plane, as well as the direction of slip, and information on the tensile and volumetric portions of the failure mechanisms.
By integrating the source mechanism results with the geology, a complete picture of how the rock actually broke are derived which provides an explanation of the observed fracture trends.
To learn more about MicroSeismic’s geological interpretation services, please contact us.