Analysis of Expanded Seismic Campaign
The PCOR Partnership, led by the EERC, is working with Denbury Resources Inc. to study incidental CO2 storage associated with a commercial enhanced oil recovery project at the Bell Creek oil field located in southeastern Montana. As the field operator, Denbury carries out the injection and production operations. The EERC has provided support for site characterization, modeling and simulation, and risk assessment and will aid in the development of the monitoring, verification, and accounting plan. As part of this effort, a three-dimensional surface seismic survey was acquired in 2012 prior to the start of CO2 injection. This baseline survey provided detailed information that enhanced the characterization of the reservoir and served as a benchmark comparison for two subsequent surface monitor surveys acquired in 2014 and 2015. The monitor surveys, acquired after CO2 injection had been implemented in different field development phases, were used to create difference images to track where the injected CO2 had migrated to within the reservoir at the time of the survey. Maps of the seismic amplitude changes associated with injected CO2 produce powerful images that allow for detailed interpretation of the injection zone, providing significant additional information on permeability barriers and flow channels that were used to refine the characterization, update the geologic models to improve predictive simulations, and help determine the ultimate fate of injected CO2.;;;;;;View/Download Document