Product Summary

Low-Environmental-Impact Monitoring of CO₂ Using Seismic Methods in North Dakota

In 2021, the Energy & Environmental Research Center initiated a multiyear research project associated with Red Trail Energy's Carbon Capture and Storage Project. The research is based on the scalable automated sparse seismic array (SASSA), a lower-cost, less invasive seismic method that could replace the large-scale 3D seismic surveys by using four stationary seismic sources called surface orbital vibrators (SOVs) and a small number of seismic sensors deployed sparsely within the same 8-square-mile area investigated with a 3D seismic survey conducted in 2019. The goal is to Demonstrate and qualify the use of the SASSA method combined with semiautonomous SOVs as a lower-impact method of monitoring the location of injected CO₂ for compliance with permit and incentive program requirements. The test is being conducted at RTE's commercial CO₂ storage site. Technical partners include the PCOR Partnership, with technical support from Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth, Class VI Solutions, and Red Trail Energy.