An Enhanced Workflow for Quantitative Evaluation of Fluid and Proppant Distribution in Multistage Fracture Treatment with Distributed Acoustic Sensing

Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) technology has emerged as a valuable tool for monitoring fluid and proppant injection during hydraulic fracturing. One of its applications involves estimating cluster-level fluid and proppant allocations in real time. However, significant uncertainties remain in the quantitative calculation of injected volumes due to limitations in frequency band energy (FBE) data extraction, cluster depth determination, and volume estimation algorithms. This study presents an enhanced workflow for quantitatively estimating fluid and proppant allocations from DAS-derived FBE data while minimizing uncertainties. The workflow integrates multi-band and summed-energy analyses with the optimized selection of calculation algorithms to reduce interpretation uncertainties. The results show that FBE [50–200 Hz] exhibits the highest sensitivity to injection activities, local minima on summed FBE can accurately pinpoint top and bottom depths of each cluster, and a power-law model linking acoustic energy to flow rate allows for quantitative calculation. Field applications demonstrate consistent improvements in fluid and proppant volume estimation accuracy. Validation against post-frac numerical simulations shows that estimated fluid and proppant allocations agree within a 6% error, confirming the method’s quantitative reliability. By addressing key sources of uncertainty, this approach enhances DAS-based fracture diagnostics and provides actionable guidance for real-time decision making in unconventional completions.