CO2 Storage:

4D Geophysical Monitoring
Geoelectrical Measurements
Conny Schmidt-Hattenberger

OUTLINE:

Brief description of the method & practical
workflow.

How it works for monitoring of CO2 storage ?

Practical example: Geoelectrical measurements
at the Ketzin test site.

Resistivity method and its application

The method is based on the
resistivity contrasts of subsurface
materials.
R of the material depends on:
Horizontal and vertical discontinuities can be studied in a variety of
fields:

Hydrogeology and underground water prospection

Engineering & construction site investigation
Waste and pollutant investigations
Glaciology, permafrost
Archaeological investigations
Underground storage operations  CO2 storage
GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

Background theory of DC resistivity

method (I)
employs very low-frequency alternating currents as source signals

magnetic properties can usually be ignored

displacement currents and induction effects are negligible

Maxwells equation reduce to

Ohms law

E-field

Poisson equation for electrostatic fields

Potential due to single point source for

the homogeneous half-space

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

Background theory of DC resistivity

method (II)
Four-electrode measurement:

r1r4 distances between A, B, M and N

K geometric factor

Schematic illustration of a four-electrode arrangement after

Kndel et al., (1997). Current flow lines (solid) and
equipotential lines (dashed) are given for a two-layer case
with higher resistivity in the first layer.

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

apparent resistivity

Rock texture has influence on resistivity

Basalt is a typical
example of a high
porosity rock with
low conductivity due
to its low
permeability
(unconnected or
dead-end pore
space).

(Ward, 1990)

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

Resistivity of different materials in nature

destilled water > 104 m

sea water ~ 0.25 m
brine <0.1 m

(Ward, 1990)

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

Surveys
Design:
Depth of investigation characteristic:

(after Szalai et al., 2009)

Experimental techniques :
electric profiling or areal mapping
vertical electric sounding (VES)
2D and 3D imaging

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

Geoelectric modeling
Forward modeling

Current
Voltage
MODEL

DATA

Inversion

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

(modified after Marescot, 2010)

Sensitivity analysis

The sensitivity matrix Sij indicates how changes in the

model domain element mj do change the data domain
element fi .
Examples of 2D sensitivity distributions of a homogenous
half-space for various arrays (modified after Friedel, 2000):

Asymmetric Schlumberger

Wenner

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

Measurement i

Cell j

Which steps form our workflow?

Feasibility

Preparation

Design &
Installation
Online
Data Acquisition

Quality Control &

Infield Inversion

Data Transfer &

Conversion
Process Data

Data Archiving &

Mining

Acquisition
Linking to External
Databases

Pre-Processing &
Digital Signal Proc.
Fluid Flow
Modeling

Inversion

Detection Limits

Petrophysical Conversion (forward)

Mesh Definition &

Adaption

Geologic advance
information

Processing

Resistivity
Mapping
Petrophysical Conversion (inverse)
Quantification

Evaluation
Data
Integration

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

How to apply ERT for CO2 storage

monitoring?
Our motivation:

at intermediate and high gas

saturation (above 20 %) geoelectrical
methods are more sensitive than
seismic methods

geoelectrical measurements are

relatively easy to deploy

higher repetition rates and costefficiency,

but: lower structural resolution

P-wave velocity and resistivity

versus CO2 saturation
- measured at Nagaoka test site (Japan)
by X. Zue et al., SPE 126885, Nov. 2009.

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

Available reservoir data support feasibility

study
Reservoir properties:
The aquifer resistivity is calculated using Archies law (Archie, 1942)
and assuming:
-Salinity of formation water ~ 230 g/l
-Reservoir temperature of about 36 C (from T-logs)
-Resistivity of 20 wt-% brine @ 36C = 0.05 m
-Mean porosity of 23 %

= A w -m Sw-n
(SCO2 = 1-Sw)
- Archie parameters
A = 1.0 and m, n = 2.0 assumed in a first rough model.
- Typical CO2 saturation scenario of 50% ( 2.8 m).

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

Ketzin data

Laboratory experiments
CO2
formation fluid

Results from laboratory

flow-through experiments:
(Kummerow et al., 2011)

CO2 ~ 1.7 m

formation fluid ~ 0.52 m

formation fluid

t [h]
Lab data
before CO2

Lab data
after CO2

difference

Ktzi202_B2-3b
[m]

0.52

1.75

+240%

0.47

1.40

+200%

Ktzi202_B3-1b
[m]

Available lab data indicate a bulk

CO2 saturation of 50% which
corresponds to a resistivity increase
of +200% to +240% (~ factor 3).

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

The Ketzin project Europes longest-operating

on-shore CO2 storage site
Located in the North East German Basin
~ 25 km west of Berlin, at the SE flank
of a double anticline
Storage reservoir: saline aquifer of the
Stuttgart Fm.
Project start 2004, well completion 2007,
start of injection 2008

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

An interdisciplinary monitoring
concept is applied @ Ketzin site

Start of CO2 injection:

30.06.2008
CO2 sources and quality:
Primary source: food-grade
CO2 (Linde), purity > 99.9 %
Secondary source (limited
time): Schwarze Pumpe pilot
plant (Vattenfall),
purity > 99.7 %
Injection rates:
24 to 77 t/day
(currently ~ 1 kt CO2 /month)
03.06.2012: 61,402 t CO2
injected

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) systems

in CCS projects
Ketzin

Cranfield

Nagaoka

(permanent array)

(permanent array)

(logging tool /nonpermanent )

First ERT array in

CCS operation
world-wide

Deepest ERT array in

CCS operation
world-wide

Regular induction logs

as alternative solution

Kiessling et al., 2010

Carrigan et al., 2010

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

Xue et al., 2009

The Ketzin ERT concept: combination of

crosshole & surface-downhole measurements

In cooperation with:

Permanent installation of Vertical Electrical Resistivity

Array (VERA) in the three Ketzin wells (at insulated
casing)

Concentric circles with 16 surface dipoles

& crossed
profiles
for enlargement of observation area, dipole
length: 150 m, r1 = 800 m, r2 = 1500 m )

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

Design details of the Ketzin permanent ERT array

(1)

(2)

(1) Stainless steel ring-shaped electrodes

with multi-conductor cables (15 wires)
(2) Centralizer & Protector Tool
(3) Casing: 5.5steel casing, coated with
insulating layer along the ERT array area

(3)

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

Site-specific Customization of
Surface and Downhole
Equipment.

current: 2.5 A max.

channels: 15
(for potential registration)

measured voltage: 50 V to 100 mV

signal period: 8 s

Electrode ensemble
for current injection

Electric power source

Data logger (TEXAN-125) TSQ-4 (SCINTREX)

(Photos: Courtesy of University Leipzig)

Stainless-steel
electrode

current: 4 10 A
voltage: 500 1300 V

Insulated casing

signal period: 16 s
Length of time series ~ 1 h
Measurement
Unit (ZONGE)

(Photos: Courtesy of GFZ)

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

Field installation: Casing assembly

Photos: Silvio Mielitz

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

Field installation: Casing assembly

Photos: Silvio Mielitz

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

Field installation: Cable management

Photos: Silvio Mielitz

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

Field installation: Sensor mounting

cable

electrode

centralizer

Photos: Silvio Mielitz

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

Data QC and PreProcessing of the field data

Due to time constraints by
the acquired manifold of
electrode configurations and
to obtain transient effects 

QC

ABMN: 3-2-18-17

Only two signal cycles have

been recorded
(each cycle T= 8s).

PP
Day of injection

EE

No regular reciprocial
measurements, but for
individual data sets only.
Individual error estimation
from the cycles, and RMS
estimation from the adapted
preprocessing scheme.

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

Inversion Strategy
Test of various program codes :
EarthImager, ERTLab, BERT

Deployment of constraints,
e.g. resistivity logs and
laboratory results 
 0.5 - 5 m low-res. environment

 small resistivity contrasts

 moderate resistivity changes
 thin target reservoir zone

Predefinition of most essential

parameters:
-regularization ,
z- geometrical weight,
E- error weight

(Gnther & Rcker, 2006)

Separate investigation of 2D inversion results for two observation planes.

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

2D Time-lapse results
Ktzi201

Ktzi200

Ktzi201

Ktzi200

Ktzi201

Ktzi200

Ktzi201

migration (funnel-like
shape) was observed
since middle of August
2008.

Ktzi200

steady-state situation
reached in December
2008.
Attenuated resistivity
profiles in the
observation plane
Ktzi200-Ktzi201
for phases of significant
reduced injection rate
(March August 2010).

Ratio (monitor/base data)

Inversion (monitor data)

Gravity driven upward

August 18, 2008

December 03, 2008

(Schmidt-Hattenberger et al., 2012)

March 15, 2010

April 02, 2011

Good coverage of the

injection start phase by
frequently measured
data sets given.

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

3D Time-lapse results
Ktzi201

Ktzi200

202

z=620 m

202

z=635 m
202

201

z=640 m

202

200
201

200

201

200

201
200

3D View
Z-slice @ 630 m

Data set from July 2010

Consistent results of the 2D inversion and the full 3D inversion for the individual

observation planes Ktzi200-Ktzi201 and Ktzi200-Ktzi202.

Significant volume effect necessary in order to detect the CO2 arrival at both
observation wells (Ktzi200 / Ktzi202) in the inverted data.

Assumption: limited 3D effect since Nov 2009 (degradation detected by contact
resistance checks)  critical electrodes: some of them have to be excluded from
interpretation, and some of them even from the inversion procedure.

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

Cross-checking of measurements and inverse modeling

ensures data reliability
Data inversion by
open-source code
BERT
with unstructured
tetrahedral grids.
www.resistivity.net

Zonge Engineering equipment

Data inversion by
ERTLab
which provided
very fast on-site
results.
www.ertlab.com

Multi-Phase Technologies equipment

Survey: April 2011

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

Surface-downhole results

Operating range: extended wellbore area

(Bergmann et al., 2012)

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

30

Evaluation & Outlook

CO2 signature has been detected
with sufficient spatial resolution.

Resistivity
Mapping

Data sets are consolidated now,

updated petrophysical results are
available.
Petrophysical
Conversion (inverse)

Quantification

(Lth et al., 2011)

Contribution to data integration.

(in progress)

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

Electrical and electromagnetical monitoring

on various scales
Regional scale
Magnetotellurics (MT) &
Controlled-Source
Electromagnetics (CSEM)
 see presentation by K.M.Bhatt

Sub-regional scale
Electromagnetics (EM)
Local scale
Electrical Resistivity
Tomography (ERT)

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012

References:
Archie, G.E. (1942). The electric resistivity log as an aid in determining some reservoir characteristics. Trans. Am. Inst. Miner.
Met. 146,5462.
Bergmann, P. et al. (2012). Surface-downhole electrical resistivity tomography applied to monitoring of CO2 storage at
Ketzin, Germany. Geophysics 77 (2012), B253-B267.
Carrigan, C. R. et al. (2009). Application of ERT for tracking CO2 plume growth and movement at the SECARB Cranfield site.
8th Annual Conference on Carbon Capture & Sequestration, Pittsburgh, PA, United States, 4-7 May, 2009.
Friedel, S. (2000). ber die Abbildungseigenschaften der geoelektrischen Impedanztomographie unter Bercksichtigung von
endlicher Anzahl und endlicher Genauigkeit der Medaten. Ph.D. thesis, Fakultt fr Physik und Geowissenschaften, Universitt
Leipzig, Germany.
Gnther et al. (2006). Three-dimensional modelling and inversion of dc resistivity data incorporating topographyII.
Inversion. GJI 166, 506517.
Kiessling, D. et al. (2010). Geoelectrical methods for monitoring geological CO2 storage, First results from crosshole and
surface-downhole measurements from the CO2SINK test site at Ketzin (Germany). International Journal of Greenhouse Gas
Control 4 (2010), 816-826.
Kndel, K., Krummel, H., Lange, G. (1997). Handbuch zur Erkundung des Untergrundes von Deponien und Altlasten, Band 3
- Geophysik. Bundesanstalt fr Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe, Springer Verlag, 1063 S.
Kummerow and Spangenberg (2011). Experimental evaluation of the impact of the interactions of CO2-SO2, brine, and
reservoir rock on petrophysical properties: A case study from the Ketzin test site, Germany: Geochemistry Geophysics
Geosystems, 12, 5, Q05010.
Lth et al. (2011). Time-lapse seismic surface and down-hole measurements for monitoring CO2 storage in the CO2SINK
project (Ketzin, Germany). Energy Procedia, Volume 4, 3435-3442.
Marescot, L. (2010). http://tomoquest.com/attachments/File/Marescot_Intro_to_Inversion_UNIFR_19042010.pdf, Script on
Introduction to Inversion in Geophysics.
Xue, Z. et al. (2009). Detecting and monitoring CO2 with P-wave velocity and resistivity from both laboratory-and field scales.
In:SPE126885,SPE International Conference on CO2 Capture, Storage, and Utilization, SanDiego, CA, USA, November24.
Schmidt-Hattenberger, C. et al. (2012). A modular geoelectrical monitoring system as part of the surveillance concept in
CO2 storage projects. Energy Procedia 23 (2012), 400-407.
Szalai, S. et al. (2009). Depth of Investigation and Vertical Resolution of Surface Geoelectric Arrays, Journal of Environmental
& Engineering Geophysics, 14, 15-23.
Ward, S. H. (1990). Geotechnical and Environmental Geophysics, Chapter Resistivity and Induced Polarization Methods,
pages 147189. Investigations in Geophysics No. 5. Soc. Expl. Geophys.

GeoEn Summer School, Potsdam, 24-28 September 2012