Schlumberger has introduced a new moment tensor inversion service that provides enhanced analysis of the dynamics of hydraulic fracture propagation.
This service will help customers improve their well completion designs through an increased understanding of natural- and induced-fracture characterization in oil and gas reservoirs.
“When applied in unconventional reservoirs, the moment tensor inversion service provides information about the orientation, volume and proppant placement associated with the hydraulic fracture,” said Joseph Elkhoury, vice president and general manager, Schlumberger Microseismic Services. “This provides a framework for building and interpreting geomechanical models, and enables our customers to improve well completion design for improved production.”
The proprietary processing used in the moment tensor inversion service accounts for anisotropy. As the microseismic monitoring industry moves toward quantitative source inversion, the rigorous incorporation of anisotropy in unconventional reservoir models becomes more important to accurately process and interpret the valuable information contained in the microseismic signals.
The moment tensor inversion service has been field tested on microseismic projects in North America. Analyses of moment tensor inversion processing during field trials in the Permian Basin confirm that the incorporation of anisotropy leads to improved interpretation of microseismic data and more robust geomechanical models.
