Carbon Sequestration

The success of a carbon storage project depends on detailed knowledge of the reservoir and on identifying subtle faults that might compromise its integrity. StratiScape shows details not visible on other displays.

Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing CO2 that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere. In concept it is similar to the disposal of waste water from fracking because both processes involve injecting a fluid into storage reservoirs. The injected fluid increases the pressure in the resevoir and can potentially lead to fault reactivation tens of kilometers away from the injection site.

By increasing the pressure in a reservoir the operator incurs a fiduciary duty to ensure that they take all reasonable steps to determine reservoir integrity and monitor where the injected fluids spread throughout the reservoir.

Reservoir Integrity

An Explosion of Detail

In any CCS project, understanding the reservoir is of paramount importance and the detection or misdetection of fine scale reservoir details can make or break a project.

StratiScape provides a quantum leap improvement in visible details over greyscale displays making it an indispensable tool.

Look at the details that the StratiScape display reveals between the two marked horizons. If this were your injection zone, could you justify injecting CO2 into it without seeing those details?

Before

After

A Familiar Perspective

Whether injecting CO2 or waste water from fracking, you must obtain approval from regulatory bodies and often the public.

StratiScape displays are easier for people not familiar with seismic to understand. Their terrain like nature is more familiar to them making your job of communicating your ideas easier.

Before

After

Dual Polarity Display

Displaying both polarities, with equal focus, is challenging.

StratiScape's unique dual polarity display shows fine scale details for both positive and negative impedence events.

Before

After

Tracking Fluid Migration

Amplitude is Critical

Once CO2 is injected into a reservoir it becomes critically important to monitor where it migrates. This example is from the Sleipner CO2 injection test sight. The high amplitudes in the center are the result of the CO2.

Notice the amplitude detail the StratiScape display reveals over the color display. The amplitude directly relates to the level of CO2 at a given location. Observing how the amplitudes change over time provides a detailed visual clue as to how and where the CO2 is migrating.

StratiScape

Color

Monitoring over Time

The high amplitudes in this example are not just from the CO2 sequestration. Being able to compare the before (1994) and after (2010) seismic versions makes it clear what is due to CO2 and what is not.

This comparison mimics StratiScape's "Roll-Over" display and is just one of StratiScape's unique tools for comparing different seismic vintages and version.

2010 Acquisition

1994 Acquisition

Inline 3D Animation

Tracking how CO2 migrates through a volume provides valuable insights into what is happening at the reservoir level.

Visualizing amplitudes in the type of detail that StratiScape provides will give an early warning of where CO2 may be escaping from the reservoir.