Feasibility study for the microseismic monitoring of the natural gas reservoir of "SANT'ALBERTO" (Po Plain, Italy)
Main Article Content
Abstract
In this paper we present a feasibility study for the surface seismic
monitoring of the “Sant’Alberto” gas reservoir (Po Plain, Northern
Italy). The project was commissioned to INGV in the framework
of the activities planned by the oil & gas E&P company PoValley
Energy (PVE), aiming to exploit the underground deposit.
After estimating the ambient seismic noise of the area, we
hypothesized a microseismic network composed of five stations
installed in a 8.0x8.0 km2 area centered on the surface projection
of the reservoir. Moreover, due to the high noise levels observed,
we also considered the possible installation of a borehole station
at 200 m depth. Detection and localization thresholds were
estimated by comparing the power spectral density of
hypothetical seismic sources located in the crustal volume
surrounding the reservoir, with the mean power spectra of the
ambient seismic noise observed (or hypothesized) at each
station-site. Two crustal volumes for the earthquakes
detection were considered: the inner domain of detection,
DI (8.6x8.6x4.0 km3), within which we should ensure the
highest network performance, and the extended domain of
detection, DE (18.6x18.6x9.0 km3). Simulations show that: 1)
five surface stations installed within the surface projection of
DI ensure localization thresholds ranging between 0.7 and 0.8
within DI; 2) the installation of the borehole station allows to
improve the detection threshold everywhere within DI, and
up to ML =-0.4 nearby the reservoir; and 3) localization
thresholds obtained in the crustal volume included in DE,
but not in DI, show values around ML = 1.0.
monitoring of the “Sant’Alberto” gas reservoir (Po Plain, Northern
Italy). The project was commissioned to INGV in the framework
of the activities planned by the oil & gas E&P company PoValley
Energy (PVE), aiming to exploit the underground deposit.
After estimating the ambient seismic noise of the area, we
hypothesized a microseismic network composed of five stations
installed in a 8.0x8.0 km2 area centered on the surface projection
of the reservoir. Moreover, due to the high noise levels observed,
we also considered the possible installation of a borehole station
at 200 m depth. Detection and localization thresholds were
estimated by comparing the power spectral density of
hypothetical seismic sources located in the crustal volume
surrounding the reservoir, with the mean power spectra of the
ambient seismic noise observed (or hypothesized) at each
station-site. Two crustal volumes for the earthquakes
detection were considered: the inner domain of detection,
DI (8.6x8.6x4.0 km3), within which we should ensure the
highest network performance, and the extended domain of
detection, DE (18.6x18.6x9.0 km3). Simulations show that: 1)
five surface stations installed within the surface projection of
DI ensure localization thresholds ranging between 0.7 and 0.8
within DI; 2) the installation of the borehole station allows to
improve the detection threshold everywhere within DI, and
up to ML =-0.4 nearby the reservoir; and 3) localization
thresholds obtained in the crustal volume included in DE,
but not in DI, show values around ML = 1.0.
Article Details
How to Cite
Carannante, S., D’Alema, E., Lovati, S., Massa, M., Augliera, P. and Franceschina, G. (2017) “Feasibility study for the microseismic monitoring of the natural gas reservoir of "SANT’ALBERTO" (Po Plain, Italy)”, Annals of Geophysics, 60(2), p. S0217. doi: 10.4401/ag-7111.
Issue
Section
Seismology
Open-Access License
No Permission Required
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia applies the Creative Commons Attribution License (CCAL) to all works we publish.
Under the CCAL, authors retain ownership of the copyright for their article, but authors allow anyone to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute, so long as the original authors and source are cited. No permission is required from the authors or the publishers.
In most cases, appropriate attribution can be provided by simply citing the original article.
If the item you plan to reuse is not part of a published article (e.g., a featured issue image), then please indicate the originator of the work, and the volume, issue, and date of the journal in which the item appeared. For any reuse or redistribution of a work, you must also make clear the license terms under which the work was published.
This broad license was developed to facilitate open access to, and free use of, original works of all types. Applying this standard license to your own work will ensure your right to make your work freely and openly available. For queries about the license, please contact ann.geophys@ingv.it.