Time Lapse Charged Wellbore Casing Controlled Source Electromagnetic Surveys for Monitoring Injected Carbon Dioxide
Carbon dioxide (CO2) injection for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and long-term carbon storage extends the life of an oil field while keeping CO2 out of the atmosphere. Monitoring CO2 migration during EOR operations is critical to maximizing production and detecting unexpected CO2 migration quickly. In this project, we monitor CO2 migration using time-lapse charged well casing controlled source electromagnetics (CSEM) at an active EOR site undergoing CO2 injection. Since the electrical conductivity of the reservoir changes as CO2 displaces other fluids, this novel survey technique aims to monitor CO2 injection effectively and unobtrusively from the surface via electromagnetic field measurements. Of four time-lapse field campaigns spaced over two years, we have completed two. Each campaign consists of a CSEM survey supplemented by magnetotelluric and time-domain electromagnetic surveys. In the CSEM survey, a transmitter delivers alternating current to the subsurface at frequencies from 0.125 Hz to 16 Hz using steel well casings as electrodes. Charged well casing surveys detect deeper conductivity contrasts than surveys that use only surface electrodes, allowing CO2 movement at the depth of the reservoir to be imaged more clearly. We transmit on two well pairs. One pair is oriented in the east-west direction, and the other is oriented in the northeast-southwest direction. Receiver stations measure orthogonal components of the electric and magnetic fields. The measurements are repeated at the same locations in each field campaign. Data differences between campaigns provide information about changes in the electrical conductivity of the subsurface. We present the latest results from this ongoing project, including modeling, survey design, data processing techniques, and preliminary results from the field campaigns.
- Research Organization:
- Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE)
- Contributing Organization:
- Danbury
- DOE Contract Number:
- FE0028320
- OSTI ID:
- 1868028
- Report Number(s):
- DOE-MINES-0028320-2; SubTER: Area of Interest 1
- Journal Information:
- AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts, Vol. 2018; Conference: AGU Fall Meeting, December 2018, Washington, D.C.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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