Determining Change In Permeability Caused By A Hydraulic Fracture In Reservoirs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016154129-A1
Application number	US-201414900365-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 19, 2014
Priority date	Jun 21, 2013
Publication date	Jun 2, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method can include deriving a cloud of microseismic events corresponding to a fracturing operation in an environment by spatially locating the microseismic events in the environment via a seismic velocity model; extracting a set of fracture planes from the microseismic cloud; assigning characteristics to the fracture planes; determining a second-rank fracture compliance tensor and a fourth-rank fracture compliance tensor based on the characteristics of the fracture planes; determining a change in elastic stiffness of the environment using the second-rank fracture compliance tensor and the fourth-rank compliance tensor; and updating the seismic velocity model based at least in part on the change in the elastic stiffness of the environment or determining permeability in the environment based at least in part on fracture plane locations, orientations and apertures. Various other apparatuses, systems, methods, etc., are also disclosed.

First claim

1 . A method comprising:
deriving a cloud of microseismic events corresponding to a hydraulic fracturing operation in a geologic environment by spatially locating the microseismic events in the geologic environment via a seismic velocity model; extracting a set of fracture planes from the microseismic cloud; assigning characteristics to the fracture planes wherein the characteristics comprise aperture, normal compliance and shear compliance; determining a second-rank fracture compliance tensor and a fourth-rank fracture compliance tensor based on the characteristics of the fracture planes; determining a change in elastic stiffness of the geologic environment using the second-rank fracture compliance tensor and the fourth-rank compliance tensor; and updating the seismic velocity model based at least in part on the change in the elastic stiffness of the geologic environment.

2 . The method of claim 1 comprising spatially locating the microseismic events in the geologic environment via the updated seismic velocity model.

3 . The method of claim 2 comprising comparing spatial locations of the microseismic events via the seismic velocity model to spatial locations of the microseismic events via the updated seismic velocity model.

4 . The method of claim 3 comprising assessing the comparing with respect to one or more convergence criteria and, for an unfavorable assessment, repeating the extracting using the spatial locations of the microseismic events via the updated seismic velocity model.

5 . The method of claim 3 comprising assessing the comparing with respect to one or more convergence criteria and, for a favorable assessment, determining permeability in the geologic environment based at least in part on fracture plane locations, orientations and apertures.

6 . The method of claim 1 comprising determining permeability in the geologic environment based at least in part on fracture plane locations, orientations and apertures.

7 . The method of claim 2 comprising determining permeability in the geologic environment based at least in part on fracture plane locations, orientations and apertures wherein at least the fracture plane locations are based at least in part on spatial locations of the microseismic events in the geologic environment via the updated seismic velocity model.

8 . The method of claim 1 comprising performing an operation on the geologic environment based at least in part on the updated seismic velocity model.

9 . The method of claim 8 wherein the operation comprises a member selected from a group consisting of a stimulation treatment operation, a well operation, a production operation and an injection operation.

10 . One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions to instruct a computing system to:
derive a cloud of microseismic events corresponding to a hydraulic fracturing operation in a geologic environment by spatially locating the microseismic events in the geologic environment via a seismic velocity model; extract a set of fracture planes from the microseismic cloud; assign characteristics to the fracture planes wherein the characteristics comprise aperture, normal compliance and shear compliance; determine a second-rank fracture compliance tensor and a fourth-rank fracture compliance tensor based on the characteristics of the fracture planes; determine a change in elastic stiffness of the geologic environment using the second-rank fracture compliance tensor and the fourth-rank compliance tensor; and determine permeability in the geologic environment based at least in part on fracture plane locations, orientations and apertures.

11 . The one or more computer-readable media of claim 10 further comprising computer-executable instructions to instruct a computer system to update the seismic velocity model based at least in part on the change in the elastic stiffness of the geologic environment.

12 . The one or more computer-readable media of claim 11 further comprising computer-executable instructions to instruct a computer system to spatially locate the microseismic events in the geologic environment via the updated seismic velocity model.

13 . The one or more computer-readable media of claim 11 further comprising computer-executable instructions to instruct a computer system to perform an operation on the geologic environment based at least in part on the updated seismic velocity model.

14 . The one or more computer-readable media of claim 13 wherein the operation comprises a member selected from a group consisting of a stimulation treatment operation, a well operation, a production operation and an injection operation.

15 . A system comprising:
one or more processors; memory; processor-executable instructions stored in the memory to
derive a cloud of microseismic events corresponding to a hydraulic fracturing operation in a geologic environment by spatially locating the microseismic events in the geologic environment via a seismic velocity model;
extract a set of fracture planes from the microseismic cloud;
assign characteristics to the fracture planes wherein the characteristics comprise aperture, normal compliance and shear compliance;
determine a second-rank fracture compliance tensor and a fourth-rank fracture compliance tensor based on the characteristics of the fracture planes; and
determine permeability in the geologic environment based at least in part on fracture plane locations, orientations and apertures.

16 . The system of claim 15 wherein the processor-executable instructions stored in the memory comprise instructions to update the seismic velocity model based at least in part on the change in the elastic stiffness of the geologic environment.

17 . The system of claim 16 wherein the processor-executable instructions stored in the memory comprise instructions to spatially locate the microseismic events in the geologic environment via the updated seismic velocity model.

18 . The system of claim 15 wherein the processor-executable instructions stored in the memory comprise instructions to perform an operation on the geologic environment.

19 . The system of claim 18 wherein the operation comprises a member selected from a group consisting of a stimulation treatment operation, a well operation, a production operation and an injection operation.

20 . The system of claim 18 wherein the processor-executable instructions perform the operation based at least in part on a member of a group consisting of an updated seismic velocity model, a change in elastic stiffness and a change in permeability.

Assignees

• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Sayers Colin M
• Den Boer Lennert D

Classifications

• G01V1/306 Primary

  for determining physical properties of the subsurface, e.g. impedance, porosity or attenuation profiles · CPC title

• G01V1/30

  Analysis (G01V1/50 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E21B49/00

  Testing the nature of borehole walls; Formation testing; Methods or apparatus for obtaining samples of soil or well fluids, specially adapted to earth drilling or wells · CPC title

• G01V2210/1234

  Hydrocarbon reservoir, e.g. spontaneous or induced fracturing · CPC title

• G01V1/282

  Application of seismic models, synthetic seismograms · CPC title