Pre-survey Planning for Microseismic Monitoring Projects

Summary Each fracture stimulation program has unique aspects that make a one-size-fits-all approach to microseismic monitoring bound to fail. Appropriate design and matching of equipment to the task is essential to delivering high quality information to improve stimulation performance. This paper discusses both the equipment and modeling required to acquire microseismic data that can be most effectively used for hydraulic fracture monitoring. There is no single acquisition geometry that fits all projects. Model examples for both borehole and surface measurements will be presented to demonstrate the advantages and limitations of each. Field data will also be presented, demonstrating the importance of acquisition equipment and survey design.