Integration of Microseismic Data, Tracer Information, and Fracture Modeling into the Development of Fractured Horizontal Wells in the Slave Point Formation

摘要

The tight carbonate platform portion of the Slave Point has seen tremendous development over the last few years through application of multi-stage hydraulically fractured horizontal wells. Higher oil prices and depleting conventional resources have motivated operators to focus on this once by-passed resource. One of the primary engineering challenges is the optimization of the fracture size, geometry and conductivity along the length of a horizontal well. Tight reservoirs are marked by significant initial decline rates and many operators are now looking to a combination of fracture optimization and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) schemes to offset decline rates and increase the EUR. Understanding the performance and connectivity of the hydraulic fractures is a significant input to EOR design and performance. In this study, sixteen stages of microseismic data collected from two wellbores were used to constrain fracture geometries. These geometries were then integrated with pumping operations, mini-frac / DF1T analysis, and log data to create a calibrated fracture model in a pseudo-3D fracture simulator. The objectives of the calibrated fracture model were to better understand the resultant fracture production performance as well as options to optimize fractures and improve hydrocarbon recovery. Chemical tracers were included in each stage of the fracturing fluid (water). This allowed for fluid flow back to be analyzed in an attempt to understand which portions of the wellbore are more productive than others. This paper presents a case study of the workflow to integrate the microseismic, fracturing, reservoir and tracer studies in order to optimize the understanding of the hydrocarbon production.