1 Unconventional Natural Gas Institute, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing, 102249, China 2 The State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resource and Prospecting, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing 102249, China 3 Sichuan Geophysical Company of CNPC, Chengdu 610213, China
As a valuable technology for evaluating the effectiveness of hydraulic fracturing operation, microseismic monitoring is essential for scientific and efficient development of unconventional reservoirs. However, several key aspects of this technology, including microseismic geomechanics, detection and accurate location of weak microseismic events and comprehensive interpretation, remain elusive or challengeable. Taking an integrated microseismic monitoring project in the Sichuan basin shale play as an example, we summarize recent advances in several aspects of microseismic monitoring, including data acquisition, processing and interpretation. Considering the research features of the Center of Global and Applied Seismology (CGAS) of China University of Petroleum-Beijing, this paper elaborates on surface microseismic monitoring arrays, weak event detection with a template-based method, source mechanism inversions and their implications in hydraulic fracturing imaging. Finally, several key scientific issues to be further studied are outlined.
