Microseismicity – A Tool of Reservoir Characterization

Prof. Dr Serge A. Shapiro, Freie Universitaet Berlin - Germany

The OTE II course book is also available in the EAGE Bookshop.

Biography

Serge A. Shapiro received his Diploma (1982) from the Lomonosov Moscow State University and Ph.D. (1987) from the Research Institute VNIIGeosystem in Moscow, both in Geophysics. From 1982 to 1992, he did his research at the VNII Geosystem. In 1991-1997 he worked at the Karlsruhe University, Germany. During this time he received a A. von Humboldt research fellowship and a Heisenberg research professorship. From 1997 till 1999, he was a professor of Applied Geophysics at the Nancy School of Geology, France. Since February 1999, he is a full professor of Geophysics at the Freie Universitaet Berlin. Since 1997 till 2006 he was one of Principal Investigators in the WIT consortium. Since 2004 he has been the Research Director of the PHASE university consortium project. His interests include seismogenic processes, exploration seismology and rock physics. In 2002 he received the Best Paper in Geophysics Award of the SEG. In 2004 he was elected a Fellow of The Institute of Physics (UK). Memberships: SEG, EAGE, AGU, and German Geophysical Society (DGG).

Course Overview

Borehole fluid injections are typical for stimulation and development of hydrocarbon or geothermal reservoirs. The fact that fluid injection causes seismicity has been well-established for several decades. Current on going research is aimed at quantifying and control of this process. Understanding and monitoring of fluid-induced seismicity can help us to characterize reservoirs and estimates results of their stimulations. This course provides a systematic introduction into a quantitative description of fluid induced microseismicity. The course will include elements of the earthquake physics, geomechanics, rock physics and poromechanics. A clear relation to the passive seismic monitoring and reservoir characterization will be established. Real data examples related to hydraulic fracturing and reservoir stimulation will be broadly used and discussed.

Course Outline

• Introduction
• Seismic waves and physics of earthquakes
• Microseismic monitoring
• Stress, pore pressure and rock failure

• Poroelastic phenomena
• Fundamentals of the poromechanics
• Stress and pore pressure in poroelastic media
• Seismic waves in poroelastic media

• Seismicity and pore pressure diffusion
• Modelling of seismicity
• Seismicity during a fluid injection
• Seismicity after a termination of a fluid injection
• Probability of microseismic events
• Seismicity rate
• Magnitudes of microearthquakes
• Non-linear fluid-rock interaction

• Seismicity based reservoir characterization
• Hydraulic properties of reservoirs
• Strength of preexisting cracks
• Geothermic applications
• Hydraulic fracturing of hydrocarbon reservoirs
• Integration with reflection seismology

Who Should Attend?

Geophysicists, Geologists, Petrophysicits, Reservoir Engineers, Graduate and Postgraduate Students, Researchers, Interpreters and other persons involved into Geosciences.

Prerequisites
Basics of physics, mathematics and geological sciences.