Abstract
It is well established that fluid injection has the potential to induce earthquakes—from microseismicity to magnitude 5+ events—by altering state-of-stress conditions in the subsurface. This paper reviews recent lessons learned regarding induced seismicity at carbon storage sites. While similar to other subsurface injection practices, CO2 injection has distinctive features that should be included in a discussion of its seismic hazard. Induced events have been observed at CO2 injection projects, though to date it has not been a major operational issue. Nevertheless, the hazard exists and experience with this issue will likely grow as new storage operations come online. This review paper focuses on specific technical difficulties that can limit the effectiveness of current risk assessment and risk management approaches, and highlights recent research aimed at overcoming them. These challenges form the heart of the induced seismicity problem, and novel solutions to them will advance our ability to responsibly deploy large-scale CO2 storage.
Highlights
Geologic carbon storage is a valuable strategy to reduce atmospheric CO2 emissions while minimizing the economic disruption of de-carbonizing the world’s energy supply (International Energy Agency, 2010; Pacala and Socolow, 2004)
There are important distinctions among these technologies that should be considered in a discussion of inherent seismic risk (IEAGHG, 2013)
Given the problem potentially posed by induced seismicity, an effective risk assessment and risk management framework is essential to project design
Summary
Geologic carbon storage is a valuable strategy to reduce atmospheric CO2 emissions while minimizing the economic disruption of de-carbonizing the world’s energy supply (International Energy Agency, 2010; Pacala and Socolow, 2004). Sequestration projects create a number of environmental and safety hazards that must be addressed. These include the potential for injection-induced earthquakes, which result from altering pore-pressure and state-of-stress conditions in the subsurface. There are important distinctions among these technologies that should be considered in a discussion of inherent seismic risk (IEAGHG, 2013). This paper discusses strategies for assessing induced seismicity risk during each phase of a geologic carbon storage (GCS) or CO2enhanced oil recover (CO2-EOR) project. Magnitudes: M-2 to M1 Frequency: 10,123 events over 1.8 years.
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