Towards Self-consistent Microseismic-based Interpretation of Hydraulic Stimulation

The primary role of microseismic interpretation in the context of hydraulic fracture monitoring (HFM) is to provide understanding of the geometry of a placed hydraulic fracture treatment to enable better completion design, reliable production predictions, and real-time operational decisions during the treatment itself. One aspect of this interpretation is the identification of microseismic events that are related to the fluid-filled fracture propagation directly as distinct from those events which are not. We present a method to statistically identify clusters of microseismic events whose spatial and temporal separation are consistent with the propagation of a hydraulic fracture system, according to various standard models of fracture propagation. We then apply this interpretation to a forward model of complex fracturing to obtain consistency with the pumped data. We subsequently review that complex fracture model via a finite element geomechanical simulation, interpreting via elastic-brittle failure analysis and plastic deformation, to understand the potential source of microseismicity. Our principal finding is that it is possible to obtain a self-consistent interpretation between both fracture propagation and earth stress simulation by following this approach.