Spectral analysis and machine learning to detect offset well communication using high frequency acoustic or vibration sensing

A method of preventing fracture communication between wells, the method comprising:

• performing a fracking operation on a first well in a subterranean formation;
• providing a sensor coupled to a wellhead, circulating fluid line, or standpipe of a second well and configured to convert acoustic vibrations in fluid in the second well into an electrical signal in a time domain;
• recording the electrical signal to a memory;
• analyzing current frequency components of the electrical signal in a window of time;
• identifying impending fracture communication between the first and second wells where the current frequency components show sufficient similarity to previous frequency components measured during previous instances of fracture communication between wells;
• and
• adjusting parameters of the fracking operation on the first well to avoid the impending fracture communication between the first and second wells.

A method of training a machine-learning model to predict fracture communication between wells, the method comprising:

• providing a sensor coupled to a wellhead, circulating fluid line, or standpipe of a first well and configured to convert acoustic vibrations in fluid in the first well into an electrical signal in a time domain;
• recording the electrical signal to a memory;
• analyzing current frequency components of the electrical signal in a window of time;
• identifying, via a machine-learning system, impending fracture communication between the first well and an offset well where the current frequency components show sufficient similarity to previous frequency components measured during instances of fracture communication between wells;
• and
• wherein the machine-learning system is trained by grouping the current frequency components with similar ones of the previous frequency components that are also associated with fracture communication between wells.

A method of spacing wells to avoid fracture communication between the wells, the method comprising:

• performing a fracking operation on a first well in a subterranean formation;
• providing a sensor coupled to a wellhead, circulating fluid line, or standpipe of a second well and configured to convert acoustic vibrations in fluid in the second well into an electrical signal in a time domain;
• recording the electrical signal to a memory;
• analyzing frequency components of the electrical signal in a window of time;
• identifying fracture communication between the first and second wells where the frequency components show sufficient similarity to previous frequency components measured during previous instances of fracture communication between wells;
• and
• adjusting a spacing of new wells based on the identifying fracture communication between the first and second wells.