Prefracture and Postfracture Formation Evaluation Necessary To Characterize the Three-Dimensional Shape of a Hydraulic Fracture

Abstract

Summary In layered, complex, low-permeability gas reservoirs, the problem of excessive fracture-height growth and erratic fracture-growth patterns make fracture-treatment design and evaluation very difficult. In this paper, we describe the importance of collecting and analyzing data before, during, and after a hydraulic-fracture treatment so that the three-dimensional (3D) properties of both the formation and the fracture can be determined.