Source Localization of Microseismic Emissions During Pneumatic Fracturing

Abstract

AbstractLocalization of signals is a widely applied technique used in different areas of science telecommunication, medicine, or seismology. In this work, we study microseismic emissions due to stick‐slip events during pneumatic fracture in a transparent setup at laboratory scale and apply a localization method “Estimated Source Energy Homogeneity.” The seismic location results are compared with the image correlation results for displacement maps corresponding to the event times. We have observed (using optics and acoustics) that the movement starts inside the porous medium and progresses toward the channel tips, eventually causing channels to grow further. This finding could be of interest in understanding fluid‐induced earthquake nucleation processes. Similar to in‐site applications of pneumatic or fluid‐related fracturing, it shows that the area influenced extends beyond the fracture tips. This also shows why even after the end of pumping, we may get earthquakes, such as in the Basel case (Haring et al., 2008, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geothermics.2008.06.002).