The effects of thermal stress and fluid pressure on induced seismicity during stimulation to production within fractured reservoirs

We use a continuum model of reservoir evolution to explore the interaction of coupled thermal, hydraulic and chemical processes that influence the evolution of seismicity within a fractured reservoir from stimulation to production. Events occur from energy release on seeded fractures enabling moment magnitude, frequency and spatial distribution to be determined with time. Event magnitudes vary in the range −2 to +2 with the largest event size (~2) corresponding to the largest fracture size (~500 m) and a prescribed stress drop of 9 MPa. Modelled b ‐values (~0.6–0.7) also correspond to observations (~0.7–0.8) for response in the Cooper Basin (Australia). We track the hydrodynamic and thermal fronts to define causality in the triggering of seismicity. The hydrodynamic front moves twice as fast as the thermal front and envelops the triggered seismicity at early time (days to month) – with higher flow rates correlating with larger magnitude events. For later time (month to years), thermal drawdown and potentially chemical influences principally trigger the seismicity, but result in a reduction in both the number of events and their magnitudes.