ESG Introduces New Advanced Microseismic Analysis Service for Improved Production Forecasting

CALGARY, Alberta, Sept. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- ESG Solutions, an industry leader in microseismic technology and services, is pleased to announce the introduction of a new advanced microseismic analysis service that describes hydrocarbon drainage as a result of hydraulic fracture stimulation.  The service was launched as a new component of the company's existing Seismic Moment Tensor Inversion (SMTI) Production Suite, a patent-pending process that helps clients to better understand reservoir processes, optimize completions and improve production from unconventional reservoirs.

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"With any hydraulic fracture program, it's not enough to know where a reservoir has been stimulated or even how the fractures occurred if we can't link this activity directly to production," says Dr. Ted Urbancic, Executive Vice President of Global Energy Services at ESG.  Advanced moment tensor analysis of microseismic events describes the orientation of fractures generated in a reservoir, and whether their mechanisms are shear, tensile opening, closures or some combination thereof.  However, further interpretation is required to determine whether these fractures will impact reservoir drainage.  "Operators need a greater level of understanding of fluid flow within developed fracture networks to be able to predict the effectiveness of hydrocarbon delivery from stimulated zones.  We're excited to be able to provide this information to clients." 

In addition to better characterizing drainage volume, ESG's SMTI Production Suite offers a host of outputs linking advanced moment tensor results to reservoir processes.  Advanced microseismic analyses based on moment tensor calculations are used to define discrete fracture networks within a reservoir and provide key inputs for reservoir models.  "What makes ESG's SMTI offering unique is the number of outputs available that describe stimulation effectiveness," says Dr. Adam Baig, Manager of Advanced Analytics at ESG.  "The system offers unique insight into geomechanical models, true Stimulated Reservoir Volume (SRV) and the stress-strain fields in a reservoir, allowing operators to infer proppant distribution, improve recovery and reduce costs.  As such, a more effective reserve estimation is now in reach."

Commercially available since 2010, ESG's SMTI Production Suite has been validated in numerous formations across North America including the Horn River, Marcellus, Barnett, Wolfberry, Granite Wash, Woodford, Montney, Duvernay and Cadomin.  The patent-pending workflow is based on 20 years of experience in microseismic acquisition, processing and analysis and has been successfully applied to over 100,000 moment tensor inversions to date. 

About ESG Solutions:

Founded in 1993, ESG Solutions (Engineering Seismology Group or ESG) is a pioneer and the leading provider of innovative microseismic solutions for the oil and gas, mining and geotechnical industries.  ESG helps operators improve safety, optimize production, reduce costs and mitigate risk associated with hydraulic fracturing, thermal enhanced oil recovery, waste-water injections, underground and open-pit mining, natural gas storage, carbon sequestration and geotechnical applications.  ESG is headquartered in Kingston (Canada), with operations in Calgary, Houston, Muscat and Beijing and sales offices in Dubai, Dallas and Amsterdam.  2013 marks ESG's 20^th Anniversary.

For more information, please visit our website: www.esgsolutions.com.

SOURCE ESG Solutions