I-Corps: Imaging and locating geothermal resources using distributed acoustic sensing deployed on telecommunication fiber cables

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种地下成像技术，该技术利用现有的电信光纤基础设施进行地震监测和地下成像。 拟议的技术依赖于使用称为分布式声学传感的激光干涉系统在现有电信光纤网络上记录的自然地震活动。这种方法可以大大减少地热能勘探和生产的地球物理研究的前期费用。具体而言，它可以通过识别与高能地热储层相关的最佳地下结构来降低勘探风险。此外，它也可以提供宝贵的洞察复杂的地下系统，如火山和地热reservoirs.This I-Corps项目是基于开发的层析成像方法，采用分布式声学传感（DAS）的数据记录在预先存在的电信光纤。与传统的地震仪器相比，DAS数据提供了米级的空间分辨率，使用单个仪器覆盖数十公里。这项技术已成功地应用于一个大规模的火山系统，如加州的猛犸湖的长谷破火山口，这大大推进了对这座火山的认识。此外，报告的地下图像已被证明可以改善与热液系统相关的结构的表征，该热液系统目前由位于破火山口内的30兆瓦地热发电厂使用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a subsurface imaging technology that uses existing telecommunication fiber infrastructure for earthquake monitoring and subsurface imaging. The proposed technology relies on natural seismicity recorded on existing telecommunication fiber networks using a laser interferometric system called distributed acoustic sensing. This approach may significantly decrease the upfront costs of geophysical studies for geothermal energy exploration and production. Specifically, it may reduce the exploration risk through the identification of optimal subsurface structures associated with high-energy geothermal reservoirs. In addition, it also may provide invaluable insights into complex subsurface systems such as volcanoes and geothermal reservoirs.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a tomographic method that employs distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) data recorded on pre-existing telecommunication fibers. Compared to conventional seismic instruments, DAS data provides a meter-scale spatial resolution covering tens of kilometers using a single instrument. This technology has been successfully applied to a large-scale volcanic system such as the Long Valley caldera located in Mammoth Lakes, California, which significantly advanced the understanding of this volcano. Additionally, the reported subsurface images have been shown to improve the characterization of the structures associated with the hydrothermal system currently employed by a 30 MW geothermal power plant located within the caldera.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.