A Bullhead Refrac Application - Using Active Acoustic Pulses to Measure Diverter Effectiveness

In this study, an Eagle Ford operator utilized active acoustic pulsing to monitor diverter effectiveness during a 52-stage bullhead refrac treatment. Traditional surface pressure monitoring is often ambiguous, so acoustic pulses were used to track the fluid point of entry dynamically. Analysis of over 300 pulses revealed a dominant, persistent fracture at 14,800 ft (in the heel) that the diverter failed to isolate, preventing the stimulation fluid from reaching further into the lateral. The acoustic findings, supported by forward acoustic modeling and subsequent underperformance of the well, demonstrated that real-time acoustic monitoring provides critical ground truth on fluid diversion compared to relying solely on pressure trends.