High Accuracy Estimation of Hydraulic Fracture Geometry Using Crosswell Electromagnetics
Authors: Mishra Shubham , Reddy Vinil 
Published: September 2021

Unconventional resources, which are typically characterized by poor porosity and permeability are being economically developed only after the introduction of hydraulic fracturing (HF) technology, which is required to stimulate the hydrocarbon flow from these impermeable/tight reservoir rocks. Since 1960, HF has been extensively used in the industry. HF is the process of (1) injecting viscous gel fluids through the wellbore into the subterranean hydrocarbon formation, at high pressures sufficient enough to exceed tensile strength of the rock and hydraulically induce cracks/fractures (2) followed by injecting proppant-laden fluid into the open fractures and packing up the fracture with proppant pack, after the injected fluid leaks off into formation. The resultant proppant pack keeps the induced fracture propped open and thus creates a highly conductive flow path for the hydrocarbon to flow from the far-field subterranean formation into the wellbore.

Most the modern wells in unconventional reservoirs are horizontal/near-horizontal wells that are completed with large multiple HF treatments across the entire length of the horizontal wellbore (lateral), to increase the reservoir contact per well. Productivity of these wells is dictated by the stimulated reservoir volume (SRV), which is dependent on the number of fractures and conductive hydraulic fracture surface area of each fracture that is propped open. Therefore, estimation of the hydraulic fracture geometry (HFG) dimensions has become very critical for any unconventional field development. Key dimensions are hydraulic fracture length, height, and orientation, which are required to assess the optimum configuration of fracturing, well completion, and reservoir management strategy to achieve maximum production. Designs can be assessed based on HFG observations, and infill well trajectories, spacing, etc. can be planned for further field development.

This workflow proposes a method to estimate and model all or at least two parameters of HFG in predominantly horizontal or nearly horizontal wells by use of interwell electromagnetic recordings. The foundation of this workflow is the difference in salinity, or more precisely resistivity, of the fracturing fluid and the resident fluid (hydrocarbon or formation water). The fracturing fluid is usually significantly less resistive than the hydrocarbon that is the dominant resident fluid where fracturing is usually conducted, or less resistive than the formation water in case the HF occurs in high water saturation regions. Therefore, the resistivity contrast between the two fluids will demarcate the boundary of hydraulic fractures and thus help in precisely modeling some or all parameters of HFG. The interwell recordings can be interpreted along a 2D plane between the two wells, one of them bearing the transmitter and the other with the receiver. The interpretations along a 2D plane can be used to calibrate a 3D unstructured HF model, thereby introducing a reliable calibration input that did not exist before. There can be multiple such 2D planes as more than one well can have a receiver, and, in that case, the 3D HF model has more calibration data and is even more precise.

The reason this workflow significantly improves precision in HFG estimation and modeling is that it provides the ability to demarcate only the open portion of the HF and not the entire volume where pumping fluid entered, which would include parts that closed too quickly to contribute to the production from the well. Today, the industry, by its best methods, can only see the entire rock volume that broke due to fracturing, although significant parts of that broken volume might not be contributing to the production and thus are irrelevant in the 3D models upon which important decisions such as production forecast and project economics are based.