Utilizing Microseismic to Monitor Fracture Geometry in a Horizontal Well in a Tight Sandstone Formation

Abstract

This paper presents the use of real-time microseismic (MS) monitoring to understand hydraulic fracturing of a horizontal well drilled in the minimum stress direction within a high-temperature high-pressure (HTHP) tight sandstone formation. The well achieved a reservoir contact of more than 3,500 ft. Careful planning of the monitoring well and treatment well setup enabled capture of high quality MS events resulting in useful information on the regional maximum horizontal stress and offers an understanding of the fracture geometry with respect to clusters and stage spacing in relation to fracture propagation and growth. The maximum horizontal stress based on MS events was found to be different from the expected value with fracture azimuth off by more than 25 degree among the stages. Transverse fracture propagation was observed with overlapping MS events across stages. Upward fracture height growth was dominant in tighter stages. MS fracture length and height in excess of 500 ft and 100 ft, respectively, were created for most of the stages resulting in stimulated volumes that are high. Bigger fracture jobs yielded longer fracture length and were more confined in height growth. MS events fracture lengths and heights were found to be on average 1.36 and 1.30 times, respectively, to those of pressure-match.