Unconventional Reservoir Fracture Evaluation Utilizing Deep Shear-Wave Imaging.

Doug Patterson¹, Natasa Mekic¹, Alexei Bolshkov¹, Bharath Rajappa¹, and Xiaoming Tang^2
1Baker Hughes Incorporated
²China University of Petroleum

Unconventional shale reservoir evaluation and development are extremely challenging. One of the most dominating aspects is permeability, which is measured in the nano-darcy range. Although these wells are stimulated to enhance production, the presence or absence of natural fractures can have a large impact on the production results. In addition, the fracture variation across a reservoir can be substantial, leading to large production variations even in adjacent wells. Gaining insight about the natural fracture system, both intersecting and around the borehole, is crucial and can often help determine the economic success of a well and/or reservoir.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90152©2012 AAPG Southwest Section Meeting, Fort Worth, Texas, 19-22 May 2012