Schlumberger unveils new technology for unconventional reservoir characterisation

Schlumberger has released a new moment tensor inversion technology that improves well completion design in unconventional oil and gas reservoirs via enhanced natural- and induced-fracture characterisation.

“When applied in unconventional reservoirs, the moment tensor inversion service provides information about the orientation, volume and proppant placement associated with the hydraulic fracture,” said Joseph Elkhoury, vice president and general manager, Schlumberger Microseismic Services.

“This provides a framework for building and interpreting geomechanical models, and enables [better]… well completion design for improved production.”

The proprietary processing used in the moment tensor inversion service accounts for anisotropy. The incorporation of anisotropy in unconventional reservoir models is becoming increasingly important to accurately process and interpret the information contained in the microseismic signals. 

The moment tensor inversion service has been field tested on microseismic projects in North America, Schlumberger says.

“Analyses of moment tensor inversion processing during field trials in the Permian Basin confirm that the incorporation of anisotropy leads to improved interpretation of microseismic data and more robust geomechanical models,” the company said in a written statement.