Automated Temporal Fracture Mapping for Hydraulic Reservoirs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual interpretation of hydraulic fracture mapping data adds latency and cost to the hydraulic fracturing process, making it inefficient for monitoring and optimizing the development of fractures in low-permeability reservoirs.
Innovation Solution
An automated temporal analysis system that collects deformation measurements from tiltmeter arrays and displacement sensors, using a data acquisition and processing system to generate real-time fracture maps and models, reducing the reliance on human analysts by performing guided and unguided inversions of deformation data to determine fracture geometry and locations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual interpretation of tiltmeter array data is used to map hydraulic fractures, then measurement precision and analyst expertise can be utilized, but latency and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical interpretation process with an automated computer-based system that uses algorithms to process tiltmeter array data. The system automatically generates fracture maps and provides real-time monitoring, eliminating the time delay associated with manual analysis while maintaining measurement precision through sophisticated data processing algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by allowing the data acquisition and processing system to automatically interpret its own tiltmeter array measurements without requiring external human analysts. The automated temporal analysis performs guided and unguided inversions independently, generating fracture maps in real-time and reducing dependency on manual expertise while maintaining accuracy.
2Reliability
If manual interpretation by human analysts is used, then expert judgment can be applied, but cost and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes manual human interpretation with an automated computational system that performs temporal analysis of tiltmeter data. The system uses sophisticated algorithms including guided and unguided inversions to reliably determine fracture geometry and location, eliminating the need for human analysts while reducing operational complexity through automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an automated data processing system as an intermediary between data collection and fracture mapping. This intermediary automatically performs temporal analysis, applies inversion algorithms, and generates fracture maps, thereby maintaining reliability through systematic processing while reducing operational complexity by eliminating manual intervention steps.
3Productivity
If real-time automated analysis is implemented, then latency is reduced and productivity increases, but system complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual interpretation processes with automated computational algorithms that perform real-time temporal analysis of tiltmeter array data. This substitution enables continuous monitoring and immediate generation of fracture maps, significantly improving productivity while the modular system architecture manages computational complexity through organized data processing pipelines.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary computational setup and algorithm configuration before real-time monitoring begins. By pre-configuring the data processing framework and having algorithms ready to execute, the system achieves real-time analysis capability without requiring complex runtime decision-making, thereby improving productivity while keeping operational complexity manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
An illustrative fracture mapping system includes: a data acquisition unit collecting measurements deformation measurements during a fluid injection phase of a hydraulic fracturing operation; and a processing system implementing a formation mapping method. The formation mapping method includes: obtaining an initial fracture map having a location and geometry for one or more fractures activated during the fluid injection phase, the fracture map corresponding to a given time during the hydraulic fracturing operation; deriving from the initial fracture map a time series of fracture maps for times preceding the given time; and storing the time series on a nonvolatile information storage medium. The deriving may be performed in an iterative fashion to obtain each fracture map in the time series from a subsequent fracture map.