Induced Seismicity and CCS - presentation by James Verdon of the University of Bristol at the UKCCSRC meeting Monitoring of the deep subsurface: leakage pathways – understanding and monitoring the mechanics of CO2 storage, 23 October 2014

1. MICROSEISMIC MONITORING AND OTHER STUFF
BRISTOL UNIVERSITY MICROSEISMICITY PROJECTS
BUMPS
INDUCED SEISMICITY AND CCS James Verdon

2. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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Anna Stork, Mike Kendall, Don White, Andy Chadwick, Rob Bissell.
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US EQ Data: USGS
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Sleipner data: Statoil, BGS
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Weyburn data: EnCana, PTRC, GSC
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In Salah data: BP

3. INJECTION-INDUCED SEISMICITY

4. CASTOR GAS STORAGE
Cesca et al. (2013)

5. GEOMECHANICS AND CCS

6. INJECTION-INDUCED SEISMICITY

7. DEPTH DISTRIBUTION

8. SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION

9. CCS CASE STUDIES
Sleipner
Weyburn
In Salah

10. SLEIPNER PRESSURE PERFORMANCE
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Utsira pore volume = 6x1011m3
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Total injected CO2 volume = 18x106m3, = 0.003% of pore volume
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Utsira flow properties: ϕ = 35%, κ = 1-3 D

11. WEYBURN MICROSEISMIC MONITORING

12. IN SALAH

13. MICROSEISMIC MONITORING
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Indication of caprock integrity (in near-real time)
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Seismic efficiency can indicate likelihood of a larger event

14. MICROSEISMIC MONITORING
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McGarr (2014): MMAX = μΔV

15. MICROSEISMIC MONITORING
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Seismic efficiency, Hallo et al. (2014): MMAX = Seff μΔV
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•Seff and G-R b-value continuously updated to forecast MMAX

16. MICROSEISMICITY AND MMAX
Weyburn
In Salah

17. CONCLUSIONS
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Induced Seismicity: Seismic hazard? Leakage risk?
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Lessons to be learned from US injection-induced seismicity (lateral extent, depth variations, controls on maximum magnitude, modelling/prediction)
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Lessons from existing CCS operations:
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The best targets are large with good flow properties, but we need 10 billion bbls of storage per year, in the right places: can we find enough Sleipners?
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A long history of pressure change in a mature oilfield (EOR) can give you surprising results (hysteresis etc.).
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If deformation does occur, a thick caprock gives you added security.
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By monitoring, risks of large induced event can be assessed.
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Systematic geomechanical appraisal prior to injection is ESSENTIAL:
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Fault/fracture characterisation,
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Numerical modelling,
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Baseline microseismic and geodetic monitoring.

18. FURTHER READING
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Verdon J.P., Kendall J-M., Stork A.L., Chadwick R.A., White D.J., Bissell R.C., 2013. A comparison of geomechanical deformation induced by 'megatonne' scale CO2 storage at Sleipner, Weyburn and In Salah: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110, E2762-E2771.
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Verdon J.P., 2014. Significance for secure CO2 storage of earthquakes induced by fluid injection: Environmental Review Letters 9, 064022.
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Stork A.L., Verdon J.P., Kendall J-M. 2015. The microseismic response at the In Salah Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) site: Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies, in review.
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Verdon J.P., Stork A.L., Bond C.E., Bissell R.C., Werner M.J., 2015. Simulation of seismic events induced by CO2 injection at In Salah, Algeria: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, in review.

19. BRISTOL UNIVERSITY MICROSEISMICITY PROJECTS BUMPS www1.gly.bris.ac.uk/BUMPS/