URTeC: 2695456
Refining Hydraulic Fracture Design in Tight Gas Reservoirs Using a
New Generation of Slim Dipole Tools
Gabriel Gallardo Giozza, Schlumberger; Jose Zambrano, Schlumberger; Edgar Velez*, Schlumberger;
Federico Sorenson, Pan American Energy; Lucia Lamberghini, Pan American Energy.
Copyright 2017, Unconventional Resources Technology Conference (URTeC) DOI 10.15530/urtec-2017-2695456
This paper was prepared for presentation at the Unconventional Resources Technology Conference held in Austin, Texas, USA, 24-26 July 2017.
The URTeC Technical Program Committee accepted this presentation on the basis of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). The contents of this paper
have not been reviewed by URTeC and URTeC does not warrant the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of any information herein. All information is the responsibility of, and, is
subject to corrections by the author(s). Any person or entity that relies on any information obtained from this paper does so at their own risk. The information herein does not
necessarily reflect any position of URTeC. Any reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper without the written consent of URTeC is prohibited.
Summary
Differential Cased Hole Sonic Anisotropy (DCHSA) is an acoustic technique that is based on the comparison of
sonic anisotropy measurements taken before and after the hydraulic fracturing jobs. The obtained differential
acoustic anisotropy defines the open intervals after the fracturing job is executed and enables the estimation of the
hydraulic propped fracture height. The implementation of this technique was previously restricted to mid-size casing
diameters, but a new generation of slim sonic dipole tools allow to extend the use of this technique to smaller casing
sizes.
Although current fracture models take into account some of the fracture geometry complexity resulting from several
variables such as lithology, rock mechanical properties, stress magnitude and directions, among others, verification
of the achieved fracture geometry is still needed to apply the models with confidence. There are several techniques
available to understand specific features of the fracture geometry. Among them, acoustics-based techniques are
becoming more common and important for determining fracture development for each stage and for determining if
the fracture geometry performed as predicted by the fracture model or if further adjustments are required in the
fracture model.
In this paper we will show the estimation of hydraulic fracture height based on a time lapse shear anisotropy using
slim dipole sonic tools. The results obtained where used to refine the preexisting fracturing designs aiming to
optimize well completion costs in the Lajas tight gas reservoir in Argentina. A secondary objective of this paper is
the comparison between the open hole data from an acoustic scanning platform tool against the cased hole data
obtained with the slim dipole sonic tool in the non-fractured intervals.
Introduction
The Lajas Formation located in the Neuquén basin (Figure 1) fulfill the description of tight reservoirs and require
hydraulic fracture stimulation to be economically feasible. The Lajas Formation was one of the first formations in
Argentina to be hydraulically fractured massively. Results can be reviewed in several publications published since
the year 2000. As it can be observed in the publications the success of the hydraulic fracture jobs depends on several
factors including formation geology itself, petrophysical properties, formation mechanical properties and field stress
distribution.
URTeC 2695456 2
Figure 1: Neuquen basin, in west-central Argentina (ARI, 2013; Legarreta and Villar, 2011)
Fracture geometry evaluation and characterization are difficult tasks due not only to the inherent reservoir
complexity but also due to the limitations of the different measurements techniques. In Argentina, fracture height
analysis using acoustics measurements demonstrated to be a powerful resource to improve the hydraulic fracturing
strategy (Ejofodomi et al., 2014); however, in small diameter cased-holes (less than 4.75 in) there has been a great
limitation in applying this fracture optimization technique.
A new generation of slim dipole tool of 2.125-in diameter has been developed for monopole and cross-dipole sonic
logging. The logging tool is designed to be flexible enough to prevent interference between the tool flexural wave
and the borehole flexural wave. Due to the wide-band dipole sources and the optimized tool structure based on
intensive computer modeling, the quality of the dipole measurements and results have been confirmed in a wide
variety of borehole and formation conditions (Kinoshita et al, 2016) including cased hole wells.
The use of slim dipole tools allows to extend the application of the Differential Cased Holed Sonic Anisotropy
(DCHSA) into the logging of small casing diameters. Post-frac slim dipole log data can be compared with a pre-frac
slim dipole log or with open hole log data from the acoustic scanning platform tools.
The present work is divided in two parts:
• First, a comprehensive analysis comparing acoustic data from the acoustic scanning platform tool and the slim
dipole tool.
• Second, discussion of the results from the DCHSA technique applied in three cases.
Geological settings
Lajas Formation belongs to the Cuyo Group, which corresponds to the first widespread marine sedimentation in the
Neuquen Basin and whose formations have been an important target since the early exploration projects in the basin.
URTeC 2695456 3
It consists of marine shaly deposits (Los Molles Formation) with isolated turbidite intervals and overlaid by an
accumulation of sandstones and conglomerates from shelf marine to continental environments (Lajas Formation).
Lajas formation is made up of an intercalation of psammitic and pelitic levels of variable thickness. The sandstone
formations are medium to fine, medium and isolated coarse-grained, occasionally intercalating scarce conglomeritic
sandstones and conglomerates. Petrographically, the intervals are composed by feldspathic litharenitic and coarse to
very coarse-grained lithic sandstone of poor to moderate selection (Antoci et al., 2001).
Pre-existing morphological features, such as the Huincul’s High, and the overburden load are main controls for the
petrophysical properties of the Lajas Formation along the Neuquen basin (Jimenez Nieves et al., 2016, Zavalla and
Gonzalez, 2001). In the present work, porosity in this area ranges from 7 pu to 10 pu and permeability ranges from
0.1 to 0.001 mD. The clayey share, according to analysis by X rays diffraction ranges from 5 to 12%, mainly
corresponding to illite and chlorite.
Hydraulic Fracture Geometry Evaluation
Understanding the hydraulic fracture geometry is critical during the hydraulic fracture design. Currently, there are
several methods to evaluate fracture geometry, during and after fracture creation (Figure 2). These methods are
basically divided in near and far field methods, and the classification is based on the depth of investigation of the
tool used to perform the evaluation.
Near-wellbore evaluation methods, such as radioactive tracers, temperature and production logs are widely used to
correlate the hydraulic fracture height and to obtain information regarding proppant location. Drawbacks for these
methods are two. First, these measurements have very low depth of investigation. Hence, results may not represent
what is occurring outside the immediate borehole region read by these methods. Second, these measurements are
time dependent, which implies that the logging must be performed immediately after doing the hydraulic fracture to
be representative.
Far-field methods, contrarily, are performed during the fracturing job and are considered to be the best for
determining fracture geometry, bringing reliable information about fracture height, length, azimuth and symmetry.
The disadvantage for these methods is that they are limited by model and operational features such as the distance
between the monitor and the treated well, the velocity model or the reservoir fluid type.
The technique presented in this paper to evaluate the hydraulic fracture geometry, mainly height, can be classified
between the near wellbore methods and the far field methods (Figure 2) and it is based on a time lapse acoustic
anisotropy acquisition before and after hydraulically fracturing the formation.
Figure 2: Methods to evaluate hydraulic fracture geometry, with a color based scale depending on the reliability of the method (Adapted from
Cipolla and Wright, 2002)
URTeC 2695456 4
Sonic Acquisition in Cased Holes
Reliability and quality of sonic data behind casing are usually topics of concern when cased hole sonic data
acquisition is considered. Traditionally in open hole, the existent techniques allow an accurate measurement of the
compressional and shear formation slownesses. However, in cased hole the complexity of the recorded waveforms
are greater than those in open hole because of the existence of additional propagating modes. These modes include
casing signals which can be variable depending on cement bonding conditions and sometimes casing modes become
larger in proportion to the formation signal. When referring to sonic acquisition behind casing there are two main
factors that will influence the data quality behind casing: cement quality and formation velocity.
Since unconventional formations are usually hard rocks (or fast formations), bonding conditions mainly affects the
compressional slowness quality, but not the dipole shears that are usually of good quality, knowing this, special
attention is given during the processing and quality control of the dipole shears (fast and slow). Once they are
correctly estimated, the fast shear can be used to help estimating the missing compressional slowness along the poor
bonded intervals. Depending on the bonding conditions, sometimes a combination of the fast shear and a
petrophysical evaluation from the spectroscopy tool can be used to reconstruct the compressional using a rock
physics model.
Flexural Waves, Anisotropy Analysis and Sonic Waveform Dispersion Analysis
Dipole flexural waves from acoustic tools are dispersive waves whose behavior is influenced by the well (borehole
size, mud density and mud velocity), formation properties (bulk density, compressional velocity and shear velocity)
and the logging tool itself. The analysis of the shear slowness variations in the frequency domain and the inversion
of discrete slownesses over a wide frequency band allows to obtain different depths of investigation (Burridge and
Sinha 1996). For low-frequencies, a depth of investigation ranging from 2 to 3 times the borehole diameter can be
achieved.
Shear waves propagate through rocks with different velocities in different directions. This phenomenon is called
acoustic anisotropy and it may be caused by different mechanisms such as aligned fractures, layering or stress
imbalance. Azimuthal acoustic anisotropy, orthogonal to the tool direction, can be measured through logging and
processed applying the Alford rotation, which identifies and rotates slow and fast shear components from orthogonal
dipole data (Esmersoy et al. 1995, Alford 1986).
Analysis of the dipole flexural dispersive curves allows to identify the acoustic anisotropy mechanisms using only
sonic measurements (Plona et al. 2000). For hydraulic induced fractures it has been observed that long axial
fractures introduce an effectively TIH anisotropic signature (Figure 3) in terms of nonintersecting cross dipole
dispersions (Lei and Sinha, 2013)
Figure 3: Dipole dispersions from a transmitter parallel (red circles) and perpendicular (blue) to the axial fracture of width 0.5 cm.
URTeC 2695456 5
Differential Cased-Hole Sonic Anisotropy (DCHSA)
Differential cased hole sonic anisotropy (DCHSA) is a time-lapse technique using the acoustic scanning platform
data to compare the anisotropy results before and after the hydraulic-fracture job (Nikitin et al. 2006).
The objective of the DCHSA is to determine the hydraulic-fracture height using one of the following two indicators:
• Increase of the difference between minimum and maximum energy and shear slowness anisotropy. When
the rock is hydraulically fractured the height observed post-frac is an increase of this two anisotropy
indicators;
• Comparison of fast shear pre-fracture vs fast shear post-fracture and slow shear pre-fracture vs slow shear
post-fracture, the fracture height is the observed shear slowness difference above 1%.
When an important increment of shear anisotropy exists and the acoustic scanning platform is acquired with a gyro
or a magnetometer (depending on the well deviation), by knowing the relative bearing and the position of the tool
with respect to the north, it is possible to obtain not only the height of the propped hydraulic fracture but also the
preferred fracture plane direction (PFP) of the hydraulic fracture or fractures created. (Velez, et. al, 2013)
As mentioned before, when compared to near-wellbore techniques, DCHSA can be considered a “medium range
technique” since traditionally dipole tools have a deeper depth of investigation. Furthermore, the capacity to apply
the technique after the hydraulic fractures are executed is not time dependent. This technique has been successfully
applied in the Neuquén basin for tight and shale gas reservoirs.
Slim Sonic Dipole Tool
The design of the new slim sonic dipole tool was optimized for slim boreholes up to 8-3/4 in, which are common in
the unconventional market. The entire tool is contained in a 2-1/8 in outer diameter housing with an optimized tool
structure, especially in the acoustic section, allowing to obtain very clean dispersions from the dipole flexural waves
in boreholes as small as 6.125-in. The tool is equipped with a sophisticated sensor section providing fine spatial and
frequency sampling for dispersive modes. It has four azimuthal receiver strips, each hosting 12 sensors, spaced
every 4 inches, which ensures spatial aliasing is not an issue for the sonic processing. Additionally, two orthogonal
dipole transmitters are collocated in the tool so that the anisotropy processing can be done without concerns for
depth misalignment between the two dipole firings (Figure 4).
Receiver-12 Receiver-1
Dipole T- R1: 6.5 ft
3.67 ft Monopole T- R1: 5.85 ft
Electronics Electronics
Receiver section
Isolator (Attenuator) Monopole Dipole
Transmitte Transmitte
Figure 4: Slim sonic dipole tool design
The shapes and dimensions of all the parts in the tool structure were highly optimized through performing intensive
3D finite-difference (FDM) modeling to understand and optimize the tool response. Unlike other logging
technologies, a sonic logging tool is always a part of the system which must be evaluated and quantified. Geometry,
density, compressibility and flexibility of the tool, alter the propagation of the measured borehole modes. This novel
tool design allowed to largely attenuate the unwanted tool flexural wave in the isolator section and to not interfere
with the borehole flexural wave in the receiver section for a frequency band from 2 kHz to 6 kHz. Also, the
mechanical strength is maximized without affecting the quality of monopole and dipole measurements in the fast
URTeC 2695456 6
formations commonly present in unconventional reservoirs. An in-depth analysis of the tool used in this work is
described by Kinoshita et al (2016).
Pre-Frac Open Hole vs Cased Hole data
The application of the DCHSA technique requires data consistency between acoustic runs before and after the
hydraulic job. In this case study we check the consistency of the data acquired comparing the acoustic logs from the
acoustic scanning platform tool (regular size sonic tool) and the slim dipole tool before the fracture job.
In order to do this check among acoustic data, an auxiliary cased hole run was done with the slim tool, before the
hydraulic fracture.
Theoretically, it is not expected for the dipole signal to be highly affected by casing presence or by well-bonding
conditions. Lajas formation is acoustically considered a fast formation, with compressional and shear slowness
ranging from 40-50 us/ft and 90-110 us/ft respectively. For these types of formations, according to Valero et al.
(2001), slowness measurement through casing may be difficult to measure for the monopole compressional and will
depend heavily on well bonding, but, as mentioned before, for the dipole mode in cased hole it is expected to be
possible to measure the shear formation slowness in almost all situations if the tool is perfectly centralized.
The comparison achieved show a high consistency for these two runs. Figure 5 shows for both monopole
compressional and dipole shear signal a very good agreement.
DTCO OH vs CH DTSM_FAST OH vs CH DTSM_SLOW OH vs CH
URTeC 2695456 7
Figure 5: Comparison of open hole slowness vs. cased hole slownesses.
Propped Fracture Height Interpretation
Results of propped fracture height evaluation using the DCHSA technique are shown below for three cases. In these
particular cases, the method is applied using an open hole run with the acoustic scanning platform tool before the
fracture and a cased hole run with the slim dipole sonic tool after the fracture job. An additional cased hole run with
slim tool was performed for the first two cases.
• Case #1
The first case shows DCHSA technique for a stage consisting of a single perforation in a sandy interval with shaly
layers considered as potential barriers (Figure 6). Before the hydraulic fracture, log data from the slim and the
conventional size tool were acquired. After the fracture, an increment in slowness is observed partially for the sand
interval and interpreted as propped fracture height. Results show that fracture was partially stimulated. Dispersion
plot at different depths shows isotropic behavior both before and after fracture. Along the open fracture, an increase
of slowness is observed for both fast and slow modes.
Figure 6: Case Study 1. Track 1, depth. Track 2, gamma ray before (green) and after (black) the hydraulic fracture. Track 3, petrophysical
interpretation. Track 4, cement bond log. Track 5, well schematic. Track 6, fast shear slowness for open hole (red), cased hole before the fracture
(violet) and cased hole after the hydraulic fracture (orange). Track 7, slow shear slowness for open hole (blue), cased hole before the fracture
(light blue) and cased hole after the hydraulic fracture (violet). Track 8, DCHSA for fast shear. Track 9, DCHSA for slow shear. Track 10.
Fracture height interpretation.
• Case #2
The second case discusses the technique applied in a stage with three perforations (Figure 6). Again, before the
fracture, log data from the slim and the conventional size tools are available. Results show that this fracture was
partially successful. The two upper perforations stimulated the formation and developed fracture height, having a
potential barrier acting in between them. As opposing, the lower perforation shows no fracture height and hence, no
successful stimulation of this interval. Additional information showed no production at this depth. Results obtained
from this analysis allowed to redefine the hydraulic fracture strategy to stimulate this interval. Dispersion plot at
different depths shows isotropic behavior both before and after fracture.
URTeC 2695456 8
Figure 7: Case Study 2. Track 1, depth. Track 2, gamma ray before (green) and after (black) the hydraulic fracture. Track 3, petrophysical
interpretation. Track 4, cement bond log. Track 5, well schematic. Track 6, fast shear slowness for open hole (red), cased hole before the fracture
(violet) and cased hole after the hydraulic fracture (orange). Track 7, slow shear slowness for open hole (blue), cased hole before the fracture
(light blue) and cased hole after the hydraulic fracture (violet). Track 8, DCHSA for fast shear. Track 9, DCHSA for slow shear. Track 10.
Fracture height interpretation. Dispersion plot at different depths shows isotropic behaviour both before and after fracture. Along the open
fracture, an increase of slowness is observed for both fast and slow modes. No variations in slowness are seen at the lower perforation.
• Case #3
The third case shows the technique applied in a stage with two perforations (Figure 8). Before the fracture, only log
data from the conventional size tool is available. Fracture height results shows successful stimulation for both
perforations. In this case, although only pre-frac open hole data and post-frac cased hole data are available,
consistencies between these runs can be seen along the non-fractured intervals.
Figure 8: Case Study 1. Track 1, depth. Track 2, gamma ray. Track 3, mineralogy. Track 4, cement bond log. Track 5, well schematic. Track 6,
fast shear slowness for open hole (red) and cased hole after the hydraulic fracture (orange). Track 7, slow shear slowness for open hole (blue) and
cased hole after the hydraulic fracture (violet). Track 8, DCHSA for fast shear. Track 9, DCHSA for slow shear. Track 10. Fracture height
interpretation. Dispersion plot at different depths shows isotropic behaviour before the fracture. Along the open fracture, an increase of slowness
is observed mainly for the slow mode.
URTeC 2695456 9
Conclusions
A new generation of slim dipole sonic tools has successfully extended the application of the DCHSA technique to
small diameters boreholes. Consistencies in the comparison of open hole logs and cased hole logs using
conventional size and slim tools respectively demonstrated not only the feasibility of the technique but also its
flexibility when combining different tools and conditions.
Case study analysis showed that propped fracture height results brought valuable information regarding success (or
not) for every perforation in each fracture stage. Interpretation of these results were key in revising and redefining
the hydraulic fracture strategy for Lajas formation showing that the new slim dipole sonic tool can be considered a
new valuable member for the fracture optimization tool family.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Pan American Energy and Schlumberger for the permission to publish these results.
References
Alford, R.M. 1986. Shear Data in the Presence of Azimuthal Anisotropy. Trans., 56th SEG Annual International
Meeting, 476–479
Antoci, J.C., Anaya, L. A., 2001. First Massive Hydraulic Fracturing Treatment in Argentina. Paper SPE 69581
presented at SPE Latin American and Caribbean Petroleum Conference, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 25-28 March.
ARI (Advanced Resources International, Inc.), 2013. EIA/ARI World Shale Gas and Shale Oil Resource
Assessment.
Burridge, R., and Sinha, B.K., 1996: Inversion for Formation Shear Modulus and Radial Depth Of Investigation
Using Borehole Flexural Waves, 66th Ann. International. Mtg., Soc. Expl. Geophys., Expanded Abstracts, 158-161
Cipolla, C.L. and Wright, C.A. 2002. Diagnostic Techniques to Understand Hydraulic Fracturing: What? Why? And
How? Paper SPE 59735 presented at the SPE/CERI Gas Technology Symposium, Calgary, Alberta, 3–5 April.
Ejofodomi, E.A., Varela, R.A., Cavazzoli, G., Velez, E.A and Peano, J., 2014. Development of and Optimized
Completion Strategy in the Vaca Muerta Shale with an Anisotropic Geomechanical Model. Paper SPE 167806
presented at the SPE/EAGE European Unconventional Conference and Exhibition, Vienna, Austria, 25-27 February.
Esmersoy, C., Boyd, A., Kane, M., and Denoo, S., 1995, Fracture and stress evaluation using dipole-shear
anisotropy logs: Paper J presented at the 36th SPWLA Annual Logging Symposium. Paris, 26-29, June
Jimenez Nieves, E. T., Cervantes Bravo, R. J., Arcaya Arhuata, L. E., Magnelli, D., 2016. Hybrid Model
Application to Predict Permeability in Tight Gas Reservoirs. Paper SPE-180972-MS presented at SPE Argentina
Exploration and Production of Unconventional Resources, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1-3 June.
Kinoshita, T., Wago, T., Tohda, M., Sakiyama, N., Kajikawa, Y., Endo, T., Bammi, S., Wells, E., Velez, E.,
Shikegane, A., Wada, Y. 2016. Quantifying Anisotropy for Completion Optimization in Shale Using Dipole Sonic
Logging. Society of Petroleum Engineers. Paper SPE-181316-MS presented at the SPE Annual Technical
Conference and Exhibition, 26-28 September, Dubai, UAE.
Legarreta, L., Villar, H., 2011. Geological and Geomechanical Keys of the Potential Shale Resources, Argentina
Basins. Search and Discovery Article #80196.
Lei, T., Sinha, B. K., 2013. Fracture-Induced Anisotropy and Reflectivity of Elastic Waves in a Fluid-Filled
Borehole. Society of Exploration Geophysicists.
Murray, D., Plona, T., Valero, HP. Case Study of Borehole Sonic Dispersion Curve Analysis: 45th SPWLA Annual
Logging Symposium, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, June 6–9
URTeC 2695456 10
Nikitin, A., Pasynkov A., Maniere, J. et al., 2006, Differential Cased Hole Sonic Anisotropy for Evaluation of
Propped Fracture Geometry in Western Siberia, Russia: Paper SPE 102405 presented at the SPE Russian Oil and
Gas Technical Conference and Exhibition, Moscow, Russia, 3–6 October
Plona, T.J., Sinha, B.K., Kane, M.R., and Viloria, O., 2000, Using Acoustic Anisotropy: Paper H presented at the
41th SPWLA Annual Logging Symposium, Dallas, Texas, 4 -7, June
Valero, H.P., Skelton, O., Cao, H., 2001. A practical sonic slowness evaluation behind casing. Paper presented at
SEG International Exposition and Annual Meeting, San Antonio, Texas, September 9-14.
Zavalla, C., Gonzalez, R., 2001. Estratigrafia del Grupo Cuyo (Jurasico Inferior-Medio) en la Sierra de Vaca
Muerta, Cuenca Neuquina. Boletin de Informaciones Petroleras. Tercer Epoca, Año XVII, Nº 65: 40-54.