Using Continuous Microseismic Records for Hydrofracture Diagnostics and Mechanics

Summary Using continuous microseismic records is a novel technique for better understanding the mechanics of the fracture network evolution during a hydrofracture treatment, and to provide a tool for diagnostic evaluation of recorded microseismic data. Hydrofracture stimulations are widely used during well completions to optimize production volumes and extraction rates in petroleum reservoirs, enhanced geothermal systems and block-caving mines. Microseismic monitoring is now becoming a standard tool for evaluating the position and evolution of a given treatment, principally by source locating microseismic hypocenters and visualizing these with respect to the treatment volume and infrastructure. The continuous microseismic amplitude record includes the full history of the seismic energy response of the rock mass recorded at a given geophone. We present case studies illustrating the use of this technique for supplementing microseismic locations to better understand the evolution of the fracture treatment, and to diagnose the condition of a given data set, so as to design criteria for more effective processing of the discrete microseismic events.