Learning from Behavioral Frac Maps: A Montney Case Study in Integration of Modern Microseismic and Production Data Analyses

Abstract

AbstractAimed at sharing the unconventional wisdom gained from a hydraulic fracturing monitoring case study in the Montney tight gas play, the work showcases the ability of 4D modeling of collective behaviors of microseismic events to chase the frac fluid and navigate the spatiotemporal fracture evolution. Moreover, microseismicity-derived deformation fields are integrated with volumetric estimates made by rate transient analysis to calibrate spatially-constrained SRV models. Through the case study, we give evidence of fracture containment, evaluate the role of natural fractures and the use of diverting agents, estimate cluster efficiencies, conduct analytical well spacing optimization, model productivity decline induced by communication frac-hits from offsets, and provide contributing fracture dimensions and numerical production forecasts. To support the interpretations, we supplement the work by the results of 3D physics-based analytical modeling and multi-phase numerical simulations, and the findings are then validated using two extensive datasets: production profiles acquired by fiber optic DAS, and reservoir fluid fingerprints extracted from mud logs. Besides describing the evolution of seismicity during the treatment, the applied integrated fracture mapping process gives a more reliable and unique SRV structure that streamlines forward modeling and simulations in unconventional reservoirs as well as contributes to solving inverse problems more mechanistically.