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Abstract. The real-time detection of hydrofracture growth
is crucial to the successful operation of water, CO2 or steam injection wells in low-permeability reservoirs and to
the prevention of subsidence and well failure.
In this paper, we describe propagation of very low frequency
(1-10 to 100 Hz) Stoneley waves in a fluid-filled wellbore and their
interactions with the fundamental wave mode in a vertical
hydrofracture. We
demonstrate that Stoneley-wave loses energy to the fracture and the
energy transfer from the wellbore to the fracture opening is most
efficient in soft rocks. We conclude that placing the wave source and receivers
beneath the injection packer provides the most efficient means of
hydrofracture monitoring. We
then present the lossy transmission line model of wellbore and
fracture for the detection and characterization of fracture state and
volume. We show that this
model captures the wellbore and fracture geometry, the physical
properties of injected fluid and the wellbore-fracture system
dynamics. The model is
then compared with experimentally measured well responses.
The simulated responses are in good agreement with published
experimental data from several water injection wells with depths
ranging from 1000 ft to 9000 ft.
Hence, we conclude that the transmission line model of water
injectors adequately captures wellbore and fracture dynamics.
Using an extensive data set for the South Belridge Diatomite
waterfloods, we demonstrate that even for very shallow wells the
fracture size and state can be adequately recognized at wellhead.
Finally, we simulate the effects of hydrofracture extension on
the transient response to a pulse signal generated at wellhead.
We show that hydrofracture extensions can indeed be detected by
monitoring the wellhead pressure at sufficiently low frequencies.
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