Is there any way of determining where the fractures were placed in the subsoils after fracturing?
Each individual fracture created in the subsurface can be mapped, if necessary, using a geophysical technique called tiltmeter fracture mapping. This geophysical method uses an array of surface sensors called tiltmeters which are positioned in a concentric or grid pattern around the borehole to be fractured. The tiltmeters sense the magnitude and direction of micro ground movements induced by each fracture placed in the subsurface. Dataloggers record the micro ground movements and the data is downloaded for processing using an inverse parameter geophysical model. The model interprets the most likely geometric configuration and dimensions of each fracture created in the subsurface soils. The fracture configuration data is subsequently fed to a three dimensional computer graphics model which produces a three dimensional colour image of the fracture network configuration at each fractured borehole.
