HR: 08:45h
AN: GC31A-04 INVITED     [PDF]
TI: Microseismic Monitoring at the Weyburn CO$_2$ Injection Site
AU: * White, D J
EM: don.white@nrcan.gc.ca
AF: Geological Survey of Canada, 615 Booth St., Ottawa, ONT K1A 0E9 Canada
AU: Maxwell, S
EM: shawn.maxwell@esg.ca
AF: Engineering Seismology Group Canada Inc., 1 Hyperion Ct., Kingston, ONT K7K 7G3 Canada
AB: CO$_2$ sequestration in geological reservoirs is being evaluated internationally as a viable means of long-term CO$_2$ storage and climate change mitigation. The International Energy Agency Weyburn CO$_2$ Monitoring and Storage Project is investigating the technical and economic feasibility of CO$_2$ storage in a partially-depleted oil reservoir near Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada. In the fall of 2000, EnCana Resources (the field operator) initiated CO$_2$ injection into the reservoir as part of a tertiary enhanced oil recovery project. CO$_2$ is injected at a rate of $\sim 3x10^6 m^3$ per day, with the cumulative volume of injected CO$_2$ reaching $\sim 2x10^9 m^3$ by May, 2003. As part of this study, microseismic monitoring is being conducted to help assess the dynamic response of the reservoir to CO$_2$ injection. Toward this end, an 8-level array of 3C geophones has been cemented in place ~200 m above the reservoir which resides at 1400 m depth. Data acquisition was initiated in August of 2003 and is intended to continue for at least 6 months. Microseismicity will be analyzed to constrain the location, magnitude, source mechanism, likely geologic source and frequency of occurrence of the characteristic seismicity, and will be compared in detail with the CO$_2$ injection schedule and production rate variability. Passive monitoring will be evaluated as an alternative means of monitoring the CO$_2$ flood.
DE: 0915 Downhole methods
DE: 0935 Seismic methods (3025)
DE: 7299 General or miscellaneous
SC: Global Climate Change [GC]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting