Integration of microseismic and well production data for fracture network calibration with an L-system and rate transient analysis

•A fractal fracture network is obtained by matching the microseismic events (MSE).•Inter programming could help to obtain the most optimal geometry matching MSE.•The multilevel feature of fractal fracture is the greatest advantage of the model.•Rate transient analysis can help to revise the properties of the fractal fracture.•Calibration on the main fractures also relies on the actual production data.

In this paper, a novel method which integrates the microseismic events (MSE) and well production data is introduced for calibrating the fracture networks. The fracture geometry is calibrated by matching the MSE with an L-system which is based on the fractal geometry theory. Integer programming shows a vigorous performance during the geometry matching procession. The matching fractal networks can cover most MSE and follow the extending trend of the original fracture networks. Furthermore, the multilevel feature of the fractal networks helps to specify the properties of the fractures for a meticulous study. Calibration on properties, especially the fracture half-length and the fracture conductivity, is carried out according to the geometry matching results. Rate transient analysis (RTA) is utilized for interpreting the production data and estimating the parameters of the fracture networks; well production data is taken as the matching object to validate and adjust the fracture properties. The results show that when considering a complex fracture network, estimation through traditional RTA may not reflect the properties of the total fracture network: (1) the estimated fracture half-length equals to the total half-length of the main fractal fractures, which determines the initial production and decline rate; (2) the estimated fracture conductivity characterizes an average conductivity of the secondary fractures which cover most stimulated region.