Title: Sensitivity of geophysical techniques for monitoring secondary CO2 storage plumes

Journal Article · · International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [4];  [5];  [1]
  1. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
  2. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
  3. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR (United States)
  4. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  5. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

For geologic carbon storage, the ability to detect secondary CO2 plumes—defined as those CO2 plumes accumulating outside the intended storage reservoir—is fundamental to preventing unexpected CO2 migration into groundwater resources and for risk and liability management. Understanding the sensitivity of various geophysical methods to secondary plumes is crucial for designing cost-effective monitoring schemes. We use several modeling scenarios to demonstrate the process of assessing sensitivities and detection thresholds of three primary geophysical techniques—surface seismic, borehole-to-surface electromagnetic (EM), and surface and borehole gravity—for early detection of secondary CO2 plumes in the post-injection phase. While seismic reflection methods are often considered in monitoring strategies to track the evolution of CO2 plumes, they are also the most expensive. Due to cost considerations, especially for long-term post-injection monitoring, other techniques complement seismic monitoring when designing an adaptive monitoring network. Borehole-to-surface EM or surface gravity surveys are feasible for time-lapse monitoring of deep secondary CO2 plumes. Furthermore, these surveys could be carried at intervals defined by site-specific conditions. If time-lapse EM and/or gravity surveys detect any signal responses beyond the expected change, it would trigger a need for the higher resolution seismic survey.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE)
Grant/Contract Number:
89233218CNA000001; AC02-05CH11231; AC05-76RL01830; AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
1867091
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-21-21677; LLNL-JRNL-820457; PNNL-SA-160333; 1031726
Journal Information:
International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, Journal Name: International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control Vol. 114; ISSN 1750-5836
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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58 GEOSCIENCES
Electromagnetic
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Kimberlina-2 model
Post-injection phase
Secondary CO2 storage plume
Seismic
Sensitivity
geophysical monitoring
CO2 storage
seismic
gravity
electromagnetic
sensitivity