Projects per year
Abstract
Carbon capture and storage technology has the potential to reduce anthropogenic CO2
emissions. However, the geomechanical response of the reservoir and
sealing caprocks must be modelled and monitored to ensure that injected
CO2 is safely stored. To ensure confidence in model results,
there is a clear need to develop ways of comparing model predictions
with observations from the field. In this paper we develop an approach
to simulate microseismic activity induced by injection, which allows us
to compare geomechanical model predictions with observed microseismic
activity. We apply this method to the In Salah CCS project, Algeria. A
geomechanical reconstruction is used to simulate the locations,
orientations and sizes of pre-existing fractures in the In Salah
reservoir. The initial stress conditions, in combination with a history
matched reservoir flow model, are used to determine when and where these
fractures exceed Mohr–Coulomb limits, triggering failure. The sizes and
orientations of fractures, and the stress conditions thereon, are used
to determine the resulting micro-earthquake focal mechanisms and
magnitudes. We compare our simulated event population with observations
made at In Salah, finding good agreement between model and observations
in terms of event locations, rates of seismicity, and event magnitudes.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 118-129 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Earth and Planetary Science Letters |
Volume | 426 |
Early online date | 2 Jul 2015 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 15 Sept 2015 |
Keywords
- CCS
- Geomechanics
- In Salah
- Induced seismicity
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Dive into the research topics of 'Simulation of seismic events induced by CO2 injection at In Salah, Algeria'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
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An integrated geopysical, geodetic, geomechanical and geochemical study of CO2 storage in subsurface reservoirs
Verdon, J. P. (Principal Investigator)
1/09/11 → 1/09/14
Project: Research
Profiles
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Dr Max Werner
- School of Earth Sciences - Associate Professor of Geophysics and Natural Hazards
- Geophysics
- Cabot Institute for the Environment
Person: Academic , Member