Summary
The first exploration-and-production downhole field trial of distributed
acoustic sensing (DAS) fiber-optic technology was conducted during the
completion of a tight gas well in February 2009.
DAS is a novel technology that allows the detection, discrimination, and
location of acoustic events on a standard telecom single-mode fiber several
kilometers long. Using a combination of the measurement of backscattered light
and advanced signal processing, the DAS interrogator system segregates the
fiber into an array of individual microphones. To date, the technology has been
applied mainly in the defense and security industries. One of the most exciting
applications for downhole application of DAS is in the area of hydraulic
fracturing of tight-sand and shale-gas reservoirs. Balancing the cost of
hydraulic-fracture stimulation with the production benefit is crucial in
tight-sand and shale-gas developments because, after drilling costs, the
completion is the largest single cost component of the well.
Recordings can be made while tools are run in hole, bridge plugs are set and
perforations are shot and during the fracture-stimulation treatment. The
technology is sufficiently reliable and sensitive to detect and monitor these
in-well activities. The fidelity of the recordings made during
hydraulic-fracturing and flowback operations provides a step-change improvement
in the ability to perform real-time and post-job diagnostics and analyses of
the stimulation.
The different case studies presented in this paper will illustrate how, even
in its earliest form, DAS has the potential to enhance the capability of
monitoring and understanding in-wellbore activities. The technology enables the
optimization of hydraulic-fracturing design and execution, which can drive down
completion costs and lead to increased well productivity and ultimate
recovery.
© 2012. Society of Petroleum Engineers
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History
- Original manuscript received:
15 April 2011
- Meeting paper published:
24 January 2011
- Revised manuscript received:
8 December 2011
- Manuscript approved:
20 December 2011
- Published online:
27 February 2012
- Version of record:
15 March 2012
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