Sensitivity Analysis of Seismic Velocity and Attenuation Variations for Longmaxi Shale during Hydraulic Fracturing Testing in Laboratory

Hongyu Zhai, Xu Chang, Yibo Wang, Ziqiu Xue, Xinglin Lei and Yi Zhang
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Hongyu Zhai: Key Laboratory of Shale Gas and Geoengineering, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
Xu Chang: Key Laboratory of Shale Gas and Geoengineering, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
Yibo Wang: Key Laboratory of Shale Gas and Geoengineering, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
Ziqiu Xue: Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE), 9-2 Kizugawadai, Kizu-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto 619-0292, Japan
Xinglin Lei: Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Central 7, Higashi 1-1, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki 305-8567, Japan
Yi Zhang: Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE), 9-2 Kizugawadai, Kizu-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto 619-0292, Japan

Energies, 2017, vol. 10, issue 9, 1-16

Abstract: During the hydraulic fracturing procedure in shale-gas exploitation, the poroelastic properties of shale formation can be altered significantly. However, it is difficult to evaluate these variations using microseismic field data. In this study, we conduct a hydro-fracturing experiment using Longmaxi shale, which is a major formation for shale-gas production in China, to simulate the water injection and rock fracturing procedure. The variation of the velocity and attenuation for primary/secondary (P/S) ultrasonic waves was investigated throughout the entire experimental procedure. The results show that the attenuation is more sensitive to sample rupture than the velocity. However, P-wave attenuation loses sensitivity to the water injection after the fractures are saturated with water. In that case, it is preferable to use S-wave attenuation to identify the opening/closing of the fractures. Based on the experimental results, we can conclude that the variation of the attenuation must be considered during microseismic data processing and interpretation.

Keywords: velocity; velocity; attenuation; ultrasonic wave; triaxial compression; hydraulic fracturing; Longmaxi shale (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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