Seismic imaging of hydraullically-stimulated fractures: A numerical study of the effect of the source mechanism

Abstract

We present a numerical study of seismic imaging of hydraulically stimulated fractures using a single source from an adjacent fracturing-process. The source is either a point force generated from the perforation of the casing of the well or a double-couple as is typically observed from the induced microseismicity. We assume that the fracture is sufficiently stimulated to be imaged by reflected seismic energy. We show for a specific monitoring geometry of hydrofracturing that not only different waves (P and S) but also different source mechanisms from the same region form an image of different parts of the target fracture and thus add complementary information. The strategy presented here might be used as an additional monitoring tool of the hydrofracturing process.