Tracking a Deep Co2 Plume: 4d Seismic Imaging at the Aquistore Co2 Storage Site, Saskatchewan, Canada

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Don White ◽  
Kyle Harris ◽  
Lisa Roach ◽  
Saeid Cheraghi ◽  
Brian Roberts ◽  
...  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pankaj Kumar Tiwari ◽  
Prasanna Chidambaram ◽  
Ahmad Ismail Azahree ◽  
Debasis Priyadarshan Das ◽  
Parimal Arjun Patil ◽  
...  

Abstract CO2 sequestration is a process for eternity with a possibility of zero-degree failure. One of the key components of the CO2 Sequestration Project is to have a site-specific, risk-based and adaptive Monitoring, Measurement and Verification (MMV) plan. The storage site has been studied thoroughly and is understood to be inherently safe for CO2 sequestration. However, it is incumbent on operator to manage and minimize storage risks. MMV planning is critical along with geological site selection, transportation and storage process. Geological evaluation study of the storage site suggests the containment capacity of identified large depleted gas reservoirs as well as long term conformance due to thick interval. The fault-seal analysis and reservoir integrity study contemplate long-term security of the CO2 storage. An integrated 3D reservoir dynamic simulation model coupled with geomechanical and geochemical models were performed. This helps in understanding storage capacity, trapping mechanisms, reservoir integrity, plume migration path, and injectivity. To demonstrate that CO2 plume migration can be mapped from the seismic, a 4D Seismic feasibility study was carried out using well and fluid data. Gassmann fluid substitution was performed in carbonate reservoir at well, and seismic response of several combination of fluid saturation scenarios on synthetic gathers were analyzed. The CO2 dispersion study, which incorporate integration of subsurface, geomatic and metocean & environment data along with leakage character information, was carried out to understand the potential leakage pathway along existing wells and faults which enable to design a monitoring plan accordingly. The monitoring of wells & reservoir integrity, overburden integrity will be carried out by Fiber Optic System to be installed in injection wells. Significant difference in seismic amplitude observed at the reservoir top during 4D seismic feasibility study for varying CO2 saturation suggests that monitoring of CO2 plume migration from seismic is possible. CO2 plume front with as low as 25% saturation can be discriminated provided seismic data has high signal noise ratio (SNR). 3D DAS-VSP acquisition modeling results show that a subsurface coverage of approximately 3 km2 per well is achievable. Laboratory injectivity studies and three-way coupled modelling simulations established that three injection wells will be required to achieve the target injection rate. As planned injection wells are field centric and storage site area is large, DAS-VSP find limited coverage to monitor the CO2 plume front. Hence, surface seismic acquisition will be an integral component of full field monitoring and time-lapsed evaluations for integrated MMV planning to monitor CO2 plume migration. The integrated MMV planning is designed to ensure that injected CO2 in the reservoir is intact and safely stored for hundreds of years after injection. Field specific MMV technologies for CO2 plume migration with proactive approach were identified after exercising pre-defined screening criteria.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pankaj Kumar Tiwari ◽  
Zoann Low ◽  
Parimal Arjun Patil ◽  
Debasis Priyadarshan Das ◽  
Prasanna Chidambaram ◽  
...  

Abstract Monitoring of CO2 plume migration in a depleted carbonate reservoir is challenging and demand comprehensive and trailblazing monitoring technologies. 4D time-lapse seismic exhibits the migration of CO2 plume within geological storage but in the area affected by gas chimney due to poor signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), uncertainty in identifying and interpretation of CO2 plume gets exaggerated. High resolution 3D vertical seismic profile (VSP) survey using distributed acoustic sensor (DAS) technology fulfil the objective of obtaining the detailed subsurface image which include CO2 plume migration, reservoir architecture, sub-seismic faults and fracture networks as well as the caprock. Integration of quantitative geophysics and dynamic simulation with illumination modelling dignify the capabilities of 3D DAS-VSP for CO2 plume migration monitoring. The storage site has been studied in detailed and an integrated coupled dynamic simulation were performed and results were integrated with seismic forward modeling to demonstrate the CO2 plume migration with in reservoir and its impact on seismic amplitude. 3D VSP illumination modelling was carried out by integrating reservoir and overburden interpretations, acoustic logs and seismic velocity to illustrate the subsurface coverage area at top of reservoir. Several acquisition survey geometries were simulated based on different source carpet size for effective surface source contribution for subsurface illumination and results were analyzed to design the 3D VSP survey for early CO2 plume migration monitoring. The illumination simulation was integrated with dynamic simulation for fullfield CO2 plume migration monitoring with 3D DAS-VSP by incorporating Pseudo wells illumination analysis. Results of integrated coupled dynamic simulation and 4D seismic feasibility were analyzed for selection of best well location to deploy the multi fiber optic sensor system (M-FOSS) technology. Amplitude response of synthetic AVO (amplitude vs offsets) gathers at the top of carbonate reservoir were analyzed for near, mid and far angle stacks with respect to pre-production as well as pre-injection reservoir conditions. Observed promising results of distinguishable 25-30% of CO2 saturation in depleted reservoir from 4D time-lapse seismic envisage the application of 3D DAS-VSP acquisition. The source patch analysis of 3D VSP illumination modelling results indicate that a source carpet of 6km×6km would be cos-effectively sufficient to produce a maximum of approximately 2km in diameter subsurface illumination at the top of the reservoir. The Pseudo wells illumination analysis results show that current planned injection wells would probably able to monitor early CO2 injection but for the fullfield monitoring additional monitoring wells or a hybrid survey of VSP and surface seismic would be required. The integrated modeling approach ensures that 4D Seismic in subsurface CO2 plume monitoring is robust. Monitoring pressure build-ups from 3D DAS-VSP will reduce the associated risks.


Geophysics ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. WA1-WA13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa A. N. Roach ◽  
Donald J. White ◽  
Brian Roberts

Two 3D time-lapse seismic surveys were acquired in 2012 and 2013 at the Aquistore [Formula: see text] storage site prior to the start of [Formula: see text] injection. Using these surveys, we determined the background time-lapse noise at the site and assessed the feasibility of using a sparse areal permanent receiver array as a monitoring tool. Applying a standard processing sequence to these data, we adequately imaged the reservoir at 3150–3350 m depth. Evaluation of the impact of each processing step on the repeatability revealed a general monotonic increase in similarity between the data sets as a function of processing. The prestack processing sequence reduced the normalized root mean squared difference (nrms) from 1.13 between the raw stacks to 0.13 after poststack time migration. The postmigration cross-equalization sequence further reduced the global nrms to 0.07. A simulation of the changes in seismic response due to a range of [Formula: see text] injection scenarios suggested that [Formula: see text] was detectable within the reservoir at the Aquistore site provided that zones of greater thickness than 6–13 m have reached [Formula: see text] saturations of greater than 5%.


Geophysics ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. B37-B50 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Bergmann ◽  
M. Ivandic ◽  
B. Norden ◽  
C. Rücker ◽  
D. Kiessling ◽  
...  

A combination of seismic and geoelectric processing was studied by means of a structurally constrained inversion approach. Structural constraints were interpreted from the seismic data and integrated into the geoelectric inversion through a local regularization, which allowed inverted resistivities to behave discontinuously across defined boundaries. This arranged seismic processing and constrained resistivity inversion in a sequential workflow, making the generic assumption that the petrophysical parameters of both methods change across common lithostructural boundaries. We evaluated the approach using a numerical example and a real data example from the Ketzin [Formula: see text] pilot storage site, Germany. The latter demonstrated the efficiency of this approach for combining 4D seismic and surface-downhole geoelectric data. In consistence with the synthetic example, the constrained resistivity inversions produced clearer delineated images along the boundary between caprock and reservoir formation. Near the [Formula: see text]-flooded reservoir, the seismic and geoelectric time-lapse anomalies correlated well. At some distance to the downhole electrodes, however, the geoelectric images conveyed a notably lower resolution in comparison to the corresponding seismic images. Both methods confirm a northwesterly trend for the [Formula: see text] migration at the Ketzin site, although a rather northerly direction was initially expected. The results demonstrate the relevance of the presented approach for the combination of both methods for integrated geophysical [Formula: see text] storage monitoring.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pankaj Kumar Tiwari ◽  
Debasis Priyadarshan Das ◽  
Parimal Arjun Patil ◽  
Prasanna Chidambaram ◽  
Zoann Low ◽  
...  

Abstract CO2 sequestration is a process for eternity with a possibility of zero-degree failure. Monitoring, Measurement and Verification (MMV) planning of CO2 sequestration is crucial along with geological site selection, transportation and injection process. Several geological formations have been evaluated in the past for potential storage site which divulges the containment capacity of identified large, depleted gas reservoirs as well as long term conformance. Offshore environment makes MMV plan challenging and demands rigorous integration of monitoring technologies to optimize project economic and involved logistics. The role of MMV is critical for sustainability of the CO2 storage project as it ensures that injected CO2 in the reservoir is intact and safely stored for hundreds of years post-injection. Field specific MMV technologies for CO2 plume migration with proactive approach were identified after exercising pre-defined screening criteria. Marine CO2 dispersion study is carried out to confirm the impact of any potential leakage along existing wells and faults, and to understand the CO2 behavior in marine environment in the event of leakage. Study incorporates integration of G&G subsurface and Meta-Ocean & Environment data along with other leakage character information. Multi-Fiber Optic Sensors System (M-FOSS) to be installed in injector wells for monitoring well & reservoir integrity, overburden integrity and monitoring of early CO2 plume migration by acquiring & analyzing the distributed sensing data (DTS/DPS/DAS/DSS). Based on 3D couple modeling, a maximum injection rate of approximately 200 MMscfd of permeate stream produced from a high CO2 contaminated gas field can be achieved. Injectivity studies indicate that over 100 MMSCFD of CO2 injection rates into depleted gas reservoir is possible from a single injector. Injectivity results are integrated with dynamic simulation to determine number and location of injector wells. 3D DAS-VSP simulation results show that a subsurface coverage of approximately 3 km2 per well is achievable, which along with simulated CO2 plume extent help to determine the number of wells required to get maximum monitoring coverage for the MMV planning. As planned injector wells are field centric and storage site area is large, DAS-VSP find limited coverage to monitor the CO2 plume. To overcome this challenge, requirement of surface seismic acquisition survey is recommended for full field monitoring. An integrated MMV plan is designed for cost-effective long-term offshore monitoring of CO2 plume migration. The present study discusses the impacting parameters which make the whole process environmentally sustainable, economically viable and adhering to national and international regulations.


2009 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 405
Author(s):  
Diane Labregere ◽  
Norhafiz Marmin ◽  
Suzanne Hurter ◽  
Johan Berge ◽  
Alexander A. Lukyanov

Effective geological storage of CO2 can be accomplished through a number of trapping mechanisms. Physical trapping is achieved through either CO2 being trapped under a structural closure or CO2 made immobile in the pore space, as residual saturation, by capillary action. Geochemical trapping, which might be regarded as a more secure mode of storage, is achieved through dissolution of CO2 in formation water and precipitation of carbonates. The dissolution rate depends on surface contact and is generally enhanced by greater CO2 plume movement. During site selection, a potential injection well location is commonly evaluated with respect to the proximity to potential leakage features. This paper investigates requirements for separation distance between CO2 injection location and potential leakage features in highly permeable steeply dipping brine reservoir settings. Reservoir models are simulated with a compositional code and sensitivity analyses performed with variations in reservoir permeability, hysteresis effects, and formation dip. Trapping mechanisms, over a timescale of several centuries, are illustrated as key indicators for containment and storage performance. Study results suggest that the amount of CO2 trapped by dissolution and residual saturation is enhanced by a dynamically flowing plume. The simulation results demonstrate that the separation distance requirement typically envisaged in a worst-case reservoir geometry setting is commonly overly conservative, representing opportunity for further optimisation. Numerical simulation is useful in addressing the complex reality of flow dynamics such as hysteresis in footprint prediction. Understanding CO2 plume migration scenarios relative to potential leakage risks, under various key reservoir key properties, is essential in storage containment and capacity assessments for storage site selection and development.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald White ◽  
Kyle Harris ◽  
Lisa A.N. Roach ◽  
Michelle Robertson

Geophysics ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. WA35-WA48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Don J. White ◽  
Lisa A. N. Roach ◽  
Brian Roberts

A sparse areal permanent array of buried geophones was deployed at the Aquistore [Formula: see text] storage site in Saskatchewan, Canada. The purpose of this array is to facilitate 4D seismic monitoring of [Formula: see text] that is to be injected to the deep subsurface. Use of a sparse buried array is designed to improve the repeatability of time-lapse data and to economize the monitoring effort. Prior to the start of [Formula: see text] injection, two 3D dynamite seismic surveys were acquired in March 2012 and May 2013 using the permanent array. The objective of acquiring these data was to allow an assessment of the data repeatability and overall performance of the permanent array. A comparison of the raw data from these surveys and with a conventional high-resolution 3D vibroseis survey demonstrated that (1) the signal-to-noise ratio for the buried geophones was increased by 6–7 dB relative to surface-deployed geophones and by an additional 20 dB for dynamite relative to a vibroseis source, (2) the use of buried sensors and sources at this site did not appear to be significantly degraded by the effects of ghosting, (3) repeatability for the permanent array data was excellent with a mean normalized root-mean-square (nrms) value of 57% for the raw baseline-monitor difference, (4) the variance of nrms values was higher for shot gathers (18%) compared with receiver gathers (7%), and (5) the raw data repeatability was a factor of three improved over that of comparable surface-geophone data acquired at a nearby location. The use of a sparse buried permanent array at the Aquistore site has demonstrably achieved a reduction in ambient noise levels and overall enhanced data repeatability, both of which are keys to successful 4D seismic monitoring.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niklas Heinemann ◽  
Hazel Robertson ◽  
Juan Alcalde ◽  
Alan James ◽  
Saeed Ghanbari ◽  
...  

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