GroundMetrics has demonstrated, and verified with microseismic and tracer data, that our unique surface resistivity monitoring can detect fluid flow from hydraulic fracturing. GroundMetrics is a full-service survey and monitoring company and the world leader in land-based resistivity sensor systems. In addition to our proprietary technology, we utilize the treatment well or a nearby adjacent well as the electric field source location. There is no need to remove tubing or interfere with production. Our technology and methods are coupled with stringent quality control systems including automated QC software requiring little to no manual data input to ensure the results are accurate. But that’s only part of the story. By processing survey data we collect through our proprietary software, GroundMetrics produces full-field resistivity maps and models that provide an enhanced view to help your engineers and geoscientists optimize well spacing and pumping to reduce costs and increase production. Combine GroundMetrics expertise with your detailed knowledge of your field and get the most reliable joint interpretation possible. Other techniques to monitor hydraulic fracturing results rely on inference based upon microseismic, tilt or tracer information. GroundMetrics Hydraulic Frac Fluid Monitoring stands alone in the ability to map fluid movement as the frac stage unfolds. This provides unparalleled understanding of fluid placement, enhancing treatment decisions for the well and providing actionable information for subsequent treatments. + Assist with well spacing | Determine well spacing based on measured fracture dimension before completing remainder of the wells on the pad or determine well spacing for other pads in the same area + Get definitive measurement of frac’d volume by stage and for each well | Know where fluid went and determine whether the well treatment was satisfactory + Optimize fluid volume pumped | Increase or reduce amount of fluid pumped based on measured effective volume of frac + Guide future horizontals | Determine the direction of minimum horizontal stress by defining the orientation of the frac + Roadmap | Monitor flow back to determine volume of earth that is producing hydrocarbons and real time monitoring solution for actionable decisions on site GroundMetrics Hydraulic Frac Fluid Monitoring technique is the only method available to provide far field measurements of fluid movement. H Y DR A U L I C FR A C FLUID M APPING CASE STUDY PROPRIETARY Eos™ data recorder PROPRIETARY eQube™ sensor
Transcript
GroundMetrics has demonstrated, and veri�ed with microseismic and tracer data, that our unique surface resistivity monitoring can detect �uid �ow from hydraulic fracturing.
GroundMetrics is a full-service survey and monitoring company and the world leader in land-based resistivity sensor systems. In addition to our proprietary technology, we utilize the treatment well or a nearby adjacent well as the electric �eld source location. There is no need to remove tubing or interfere with production. Our technology and methods are coupled with stringent quality control systems including automated QC software requiring little to no manual data input to ensure the results are accurate.
But that’s only part of the story. By processing survey data we collect through our proprietary software, GroundMetrics produces full-�eld resistivity maps and models that provide an enhanced view to help your engineers and geoscientists optimize well spacing and pumping to reduce costs and increase production. Combine GroundMetrics expertise with your detailed knowledge of your �eld and get the most reliable joint interpretation possible.
Other techniques to monitor hydraulic fracturing results rely on inference based upon microseismic, tilt or tracer information. GroundMetrics Hydraulic Frac Fluid Monitoring stands alone in the ability to map �uid movement as the frac stage unfolds. This provides unparalleled understanding of �uid placement, enhancing treatment decisions for the well and providing actionable information for subsequent treatments.
+ Assist with well spacing | Determine well spacing based on measured fracture dimension before completing remainder of the wells on the pad or determine well spacing for other pads in the same area
+ Get de�nitive measurement of frac’d volume by stage and for each well | Know where �uid went and determine whether the well treatment was satisfactory
+ Optimize �uid volume pumped | Increase or reduce amount of �uid pumped based on measured e�ective volume of frac
+ Guide future horizontals | Determine the direction of minimum horizontal stress by de�ning the orientation of the frac
+ Roadmap | Monitor �ow back to determine volume of earth that is producing hydrocarbons and real time monitoring solution for actionable decisions on site
GroundMetrics Hydraulic Frac Fluid Monitoring technique is the only method available to provide far �eld measurements of �uid movement.
HYDRAULIC FRACFLUID MAPPING
C A S E S T U D Y
PROPRIETARYEos™ datarecorder
PROPRIETARY eQube™ sensor
PROJECT BACKGROUND
IMAGE A
GroundMetrics performed a survey to demonstrate our technology could detect and map �uid movement during a frac treatment. Current industry standard methods for determining far �eld earth response to fracture treatment are limited. Microseismic relies upon acoustic measurements that may or may not be related to �uid movement. Tilt, while precise, is limited by terrain and proximity to a well bore. Tracer technology con�rms or refutes commingling between wells but says nothing of conduit pathways. A successful test of GroundMetrics resistivity mapping would yield the �rst system to accurately map �uid movement during a fracture treatment.
Location | DJ BasinMonitored Stages | 7 stages total+ 3 with contrast �uid (commonly used in frac’ing)+ 4 with control �uid (also commonly used in frac’ing, but di�erent
from contrast �uid)Validation | 3 di�erent technologies+ 2200 channel surface microseismic+ 40 channel downhole microseismic+ Tracer injected in treatment well – GroundMetrics observed �uid
migration to adjacent well. Tracer con�rmed this.Minimal Acquisition Footprint | + GroundMetrics < 1 sq mile+ microseismic ~ 6 sq mileGoal | Con�rm GroundMetrics technology can detect and map the movement
of the treatment �uid. This goal was achieved successfully, details follow.
Hydraulic fracturing has enabled increased commercial production from new and existing formations. However, frac’ing is more expensive than conventional methods used to produce gas and oil, and frac’d wells exhibit a much faster decline in production than conventional wells. Frac’d wells exhibit highly variable production as often the majority of gas or oil produced comes from only a few of the frac stages. As a result, more extensive frac operations are performed than are really needed. These ine�ciencies indicate that the eventual destinations of the injected �uids used in reservoir stimulation are poorly understood. This inspired GroundMetrics and Encana Corporation in conjunction with the US Department of Energy to set out to be the �rst to successfully monitor frac �uid movement throughout multiple frac stages.
OVERVIEW
Image C is the �nal image of the resistivity change after the treatment of the seven stages. Note the red/yellow region around Stages 2 and 3 where contrast �uid was injected. Moreover, compare resistivity response to Stages 4, 6 and 7 – control �uid. The resistivity response is relatively unchanged compared to Image B. Stages 1 - 4 behaved as expected. The GroundMetrics Hydraulic Frac Fluid Monitoring method has mapped the location of injected �uid.Look at Stage 5 where contrast �uid was also injected. We don’t see the same response as with Stages 2 and 3. Rather, we do see enhanced resistivity response west of Well 6 and east of Well 5. We interpreted that the �uid injected in Well 7 propagated across adjacent wells. Later, we compared our results and interpretation to the microseismic and tracer data which con�rmed GroundMetrics technology mapped �uid movement.
GroundMetrics worked with Encana to design the survey to acquire data over the planned frac stages in order to achieve the goals of the survey. The planned survey area covered less than one square mile (approximately 2 square kilometers). This is signi�cantly less area than microseismic monitoring, which required approximately 6 square miles (over 15 square kilometers) to image the same area. This means that for the same subsurface area, only a fraction of the �eld operations and permitting were needed for GroundMetrics Hydraulic Frac Fluid Monitoring versus microseismic operations.Once the survey was designed, the GroundMetrics survey crew deployed to the site to conduct the land survey and collect resistivity data. The crew consisted of survey technicians charged with placing, monitoring, and moving survey equipment, a data observer who monitored and assured the quality of the data, a source operator, and a �eld operations manager who oversaw all operations.
The site-speci�c Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) procedure was executed to plan and included daily HSE brie�ngs for all crew. GroundMetrics goal was to conduct �eld operations with no injuries or harm to people, wildlife, or livestock, and no damage to crops, property or the environment. In addition, the GroundMetrics crew operated fully under Encana’s HSE policies and procedures. No safety incidents were reported.The crew collected 48 hours of continuous data during the seven monitored fracture stages yielding over 3600 hours of independent data measurements. Once successfully acquired, the data were processed through GroundMetrics software for creation and interpretation of a Hydraulic Frac Fluid Monitoring time-lapse video.
SCOPE, DESIGN & EXECUTION
IMAGE C
Survey equipment consisted of proprietary eQube™ sensors and wireless Eos™ data recorders positioned strategically throughout the survey site (not on the well pad). In addition a small trailer containing TCS-30™ source and monitoring equipment was located at the well pad.
GROUNDMETRICS RESULTS & INTERPRETATION
Seven stages were monitored in total during the treatment of Well 7. Four stages were pumped with control �uid (indicated by solid lines) and three with contrast �uid (dashed lines); both �uid types are commonly used in frac’ing. Image B indicates the measured background resistivity prior to treatment.
IMAGE B
R E S I S T I V I T Y B E F O R E H Y D R A U L I C F R A C T U R E
R E S I S T I V I T Y C H A N G E D U R I N G H Y D R A U L I C F R A C T U R E
TRAILER
The microseismic data clearly indicated acoustic emissions along and to the east of Well 7. In Image D, the blue events are related to control �uid and the red events are related to contrast �uid stages. There are red events that trend westward toward Well 5. Absent other information, the operator was left to speculate whether these westward trending events was due to slippages along a pre-existing fault, or were outliers produced in the interpretation of the microseismic data.
We see in Image E that the westward trending microseismic events agreed with the resistivity data. The red dots (microseismic readings from contrast �uid stages) agree with the red electric �eld change caused by the contrast �uid. This suggests there were fracture slippages producing acoustic emissions that are consistent with the �uid �ow measured by the GroundMetrics Hydraulic Frac Fluid Monitoring data. The microseismic information con�rmed the GroundMetrics Hydraulic Frac Fluid Monitoring result and interpretation.
In looking at the resistivity data, GroundMetrics geoscientists hypothesized that �uid migrated from Well 7 to Well 5. Later Encana reported that tracers from Well 7 appeared in Well 5, which corroborated the GroundMetrics data and interpretation (Image F). Like the microseismic data, this independent tracer measurement validated the GroundMetrics Hydraulic Frac Fluid Monitoring data and interpretation. The �uid injected in Well 7 found a path of communication to Well 5, and the other two contrast stages behaved as Encana had planned and expected. This survey demonstrates that GroundMetrics unique surface resistivity monitoring can detect and map �uid �ow from hydraulic fracturing.
GroundMetrics Hydraulic Frac Fluid Monitoring method gives operators the certainty they need to be sure where frac �uid is going.+ Reduce the number of wells drilled and frac’d without reducing
production+ Map one pad to determine spacing for other pads in the same sector+ Produce more oil by minimizing unproduced zones between wells+ Save costs by pumping less frac �uid without reducing production+ Set the stage to monitor �ow back and actually measure producing
volume from a frac treatment
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COMPARISON WITH MICROSEISMIC & TRACER DATA
APPLICATIONS & VALUE
To learn more about GroundMetrics, please call or email us at +1 619.786.8023 ext. 1 or [email protected]
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