Induced Seismicity

Enhancing hydraulic permeability in subsurface reservoirs through man-made fracturing has become a widely used technique in recent years. Reservoir stimulation is a key technology to explore new energy resources such as deep geothermal energy or shale gas deposits. Fluids are pumped into deep boreholes at high pressures to induce shearing and dilation of preexisting fractures, which enhances flow of hot water or gas towards an extraction well. The potential hazard posed by induced seismicity is poorly understood and is currently one of the main obstacles to widespread installation of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) near urban centers. Besides its hazard, induced seismicity also provides key in-situ fluid information. Microseismic monitoring is now routinely used for reservoir characterization. In this research group, we focus on understanding the mechanics and physics of induced earthquakes in order to develop methods to assess the probability of occurrence of potentially damaging events, as well as infer parameters of the stimulated rock volume. 

Figure: Illustration of the five operation phases during an EGS project used for a piecewise hazard and risk analysis.