Automatic Identification of Fractures Using a Density-Based Clustering Algorithm with Time-Spatial Constraints

Qingfeng Xue, Yibo Wang, Hongyu Zhai and Xu Chang
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Qingfeng Xue: 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
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

Energies, 2018, vol. 11, issue 3, 1-15

Abstract: In shale gas hydraulic fracture monitoring or rock acoustic emission experiments, fracture plane identification is always a complex task. Conventional approaches typically use the source locating results derived from the micro-seismic event and then interpret the fracture plane using manual qualitative analysis. Large errors typically occur due to manual operations. On the other hand, the density-based clustering algorithm with spatial constraints is widely used in geographic information science, biological cells science and astronomy. It is an automated algorithm and can achieve good classification results. In this paper, we introduced the above-mentioned clustering algorithm with spatial constraints to fracture identification applications. Moreover, because micro-seismic events are 4D in nature, every micro-seismic event has both time and space information. Hence, we improve the conventional clustering algorithm by incorporating a time constraint. We test the proposed method using rock acoustic emissions data and compare our fracture identification results with CT scan images; the comparison clearly shows the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Keywords: hydraulic fracturing; fractures identification; clustering analysis; acoustic emission; 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: 2018
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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