Patent ID: 8498852
Filing Date: 2013-07-30
Classification: E21B

Abstract:
1. A method for fracturing a hydrocarbon formation accessible by a treatment well extending into the hydrocarbon formation, the method comprising: (a) supplying hydraulic fluid to the treatment well to produce fractures in a hydrocarbon formation; (b) obtaining and processing field data obtained during (a); (c) processing the field data to solve for geometric and geomechanical properties of a complex fracture network representing fractures in the hydrocarbon formation produced during (a); (d) processing the geometric and geomechanical properties derived in (c) in conjunction with a fracture model to generate data that characterizes fractures in the hydrocarbon formation produced during (a), wherein the fracture model includes a height, a major axis and an aspect ratio of an elliptical boundary defined by fracturing in the hydrocarbon formation; and (e) outputting the data generated in (d) to a user; wherein the fracture model represents two perpendicular sets of parallel planar fractures along an x-axis and y-axis, respectively, wherein fractures parallel to the x-axis are equally separated by distance d wherein the distances d