Despite modern technological advancements in well drilling and completion, our understanding of hydraulic fracture geometry remains virtually the same as it was at least a decade ago. A critical approach to fracture treatment diagnostics involves an accurate evaluation of near-wellbore perforations efficiency and detection of hydraulic fractures away from the wellbore. The main limitation of currently available fracture diagnostic techniques is that they provide no information about the propped and conductive fractures beyond the wellbore. A cross-dipole acoustic tool and deep shear wave imaging (DSWI) processing are able to detect hydraulic fracture-induced changes within the vicinity and beyond the wellbore. In the near-wellbore region, the acoustic wave transit time increases substantially through the frac sand. The increase in transit time is a function of frac sand porosity. In the mid-field region beyond the wellbore (at approximately one hundred feet), changes in acoustic wave's reflection amplitude between pre- and post-frac measurements illustrate the induced (conductive) fractures and are a strong indicator of the presence of the fracture network away from the borehole. In addition, a three-dimensional fracture radius network model generated from DSWI data can provide greater insight, compared to seismic imaging methods for example, about the presence, location, and characteristics of natural and hydraulically induced fractures. The three-dimensional fracture network model created via DSWI can be more readily used in workflows or tools associated with reservoir modeling and fracture modeling. A novel hydraulic fracture diagnostic technology based on acoustic measurements enables efficient evaluation of the completion and quick, cost-effective hydraulic fracture mapping in the mid-field region. The ability to run a single tool before and after the hydraulic fracture treatment makes this tool a unique solution that helps customers make smart decisions to improve well economics.
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