Method for describing fractures in subterranean earth formations
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the United States Energy Research and Development Administration
InventorLowell Z. Shuck
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Abstract
The configuration and directional orientation of natural or induced fractures in subterranean earth formations are described by introducing a liquid explosive into the fracture, detonating the explosive, and then monitoring the resulting acoustic emissions with strategically placed acoustic sensors as the explosion propagates through the fracture at a known rate.
Claims4
A method for describing the configuration and directional orientation of a natural or a previously induced fracture extending from a wellbore penetrating a sub-surface earth formation containing the fracture, comprising the steps of positioning a plurality of acoustic sensors at selected locations about the wellbore, introducing a liquid explosive of a preselected detonation rate in the range of about 100 to 3000 meters per second into the fracture, detonating the liquid explosive at the wellbore to effect propagation of the explosion in the fracture at said selected rate from the wellbore towards the extremities of fracture remote to the wellbore with said detonating explosive producing and transmitting acoustic emission through earth formations surrounding the fracture for reception by said acoustic sensors, and analyzing and comparing the characteristics of the acoustic emission received by each of the plurality of acoustic sensors for effecting the description of the fracture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.