Halliburton’s FracHeight service measures formation movement, fracture dilation

Pinnacle Technologies, a Halliburton service, has introduced its FracHeight service, a hybrid tool that combines fiber optic wireline-conveyed microseismic receivers with Pinnacle’s downhole tiltmeter sensors that directly measure the formation movement associated with fracture dilation.

While microseismic monitoring has been the primary diagnostic tool for fracture mapping in unconventional reservoirs, determining fracture height can sometimes be a challenge when relying on these measurements alone. For example, in some multistage fractures where shallow microseisms exist, identifying the cause – be it the actual fracture opening, natural fractures, a result of a critically stressed zone shearing or some other mechanism – requires additional information.

By incorporating microdeformation measurements made by downhole tiltmeters, FracHeight service provides definitive evidence of fracture dilation. The result is a service that leads to more accurate fracture mapping by providing insight on actual fracture deformation as a function of depth.

In typical unconventional reservoirs where multistage horizontals are common, the data provided by FracHeight service offers advantages for understanding fracture behavior. The improved knowledge of the subsurface provided by FracHeight service allows for optimized asset development and increased completion and fracture efficiency.

FracHeight is a servicemark of Halliburton.