The success of CCS projects hinge on precise MMV of injected and stored CO2 to ensure long-term containment and environmental safety, supporting informed decision making and enhancing operational efficiency in the pursuit of sustainable climate mitigation strategies.
SLB provided end-to-end solutions from presurvey modeling to data acquisition, processing, and interpretation, delivering the following: Vertical seismic profiling (VSP): Optiq Seismic™ fiber-optic borehole seismic solution was employed to acquire zero-offset VSP and walkaway VSP datasets simultaneously from two wells. This hybrid acquisition strategy—utilizing both land-based vibrator sources and river-deployed mud guns—ensured comprehensive subsurface coverage. By leveraging fiber-optic acquisition, an estimated 90% reduction in both operating time and CO2 emissions could be avoided (based on SLB and industry benchmarks for fiber-optic DAS vs. geophones). The recorded datasets were processed using the new automated elastic full-waveform inversion (eFWI) workflow, resulting in high-resolution subsurface images delivered with high fidelity in hours as opposed to days with manual processing.
Crosswell seismic acquisition: The project marked the first worldwide implementation of DAS in crosswell seismic data acquisition. By using the DeepLook-CS™ crosswell seismic imaging service, we achieved enhanced resolution in subsurface imaging and reservoir characterization. This innovative approach demonstrated the potential of DAS technology in pushing the boundaries of seismic imaging techniques.
Microseismic monitoring: the Real-Time Induced Seismicity Monitoring (RT-ISM) was utilized for continuous microseismic monitoring during CO2 injection. Automated event detection algorithms enabled real-time identification and extraction of seismic events, which were then transmitted to processing centers for immediate analysis without the need of manual processing and personnel on site.
Injection profiling: Fiber-optic technology facilitated precise
monitoring of CO2 injection processes by providing real-time
DTS along the borehole.
This capability allowed operators to assess reservoir integrity, optimize injection rates, and mitigate risks associated with CO2 migration. The use of low-frequency DAS data further enhanced reservoir characterization efforts, aiding in the selection of suitable injection sites and validation of storage capacity.
Throughout the entire project, the fiber-optic DAS data was recorded with the latest generation of optical generator, ONYX™ peta by Sintela. Sintela is a technology development organization that designs and delivers world-leading fiber sensing systems for industrial markets, including energy, power, rail, road, security, telecoms, and urban monitoring. SLB and Sintela entered into an agreement in 2022 to codevelop distributed fiber-optic sensing (DFOS) solutions, enabling simpler, cost-efficient fiber-optic interrogators and digital workflow deployment. Overall, the Minami-Aga pilot project demonstrated the SLB Optiq Seismic solution offers a cost-effective, scalable solution for comprehensive subsurface monitoring in CCS projects.
By revolutionizing traditional approaches, our integrated full offering of fiber-optic sensing technologies contributes to optimizing operational efficiency, ensuring environmental safety, and supporting informed decision-making in the pursuit of sustainable climate mitigation strategies.
For more information, read https://doi.org/10.1190/tle43110720.1
