Assessing Seismic monitoring for Shale gas exploration (ASeiS)

这一NERC创新安置项目将在环境局(EA)嵌入必要的专业知识，以有效和适当地监管英国页岩气/石油储量开采的水力压裂(HF)活动。这对该行业的短期和长期成功至关重要，该行业对英国经济具有巨大的潜在价值。环境保护局的职权范围包括要求保护地下水免受高压和大量氢氟酸的污染，页岩勘探地点的运营商必须向环境保护局提交水力压裂计划(HFP)以供批准。这应该包括该公司将如何监测HF流体的移动，以验证它们是否超过了允许勘探的边界。被动地震监测(PSM)目前被认为是实现这一目标的最合适的方法，因为地震事件位置可以指示流体运移的程度。然而，这种类型的监测并不是一个完美的解决方案，报告的结果中仍然存在不确定性。该项目将在组织中嵌入地球物理知识，因此EA将配备1。评估建议的PSM和其他地球物理方法对任务的适用性；2.评估在当前勘探地点附近发生地震事件时井筒泄漏的可能性；3.了解正在开发的技术，并评估这些技术何时成为可接受的监测解决方案。为了实现这些目标，我将与石油和天然气方案的主要EA工作人员合作，特别是Simon Dawson(地球物理技术专家)和Marion Maloney(能源和新出现问题高级顾问)，以传播科学知识和PSM的最新研究。我将合作为EA工作人员开发和提供为期一天的研讨会的两个版本，向他们提供基本震源参数估计(例如，位置和震级)和当前(例如，地震检波器)和开发(例如，光纤)技术的知识。与这些工作人员一起，我还将为拟议的监测设置建立评估标准，以提高HFP评估的效率。此外，我将为EA开发一个工具，以评估如果记录到地震活动，井筒受损的可能性和程度。该工具将利用现有的地震事件位置、震级和断层平面解决方案来模拟井筒经历给定位移变形的概率，从而评估地下水污染的风险。环境评估面临的主要挑战是，其工作人员在地球物理监测方面存在知识缺口。该机构对英国传统石油和天然气行业的监管不需要任何地震监测计划。因此，在过去，EA不需要专门的地球物理知识，特别是在PSM方面。鉴于英国的页岩气勘探将于2017年重启，英国能源署预计明年将收到几家勘探公司提供的HFPS。至关重要的是，这个新生的行业已经并将受到公众的严格审查，适当和适当地监督项目。此外，环境保护局必须能够提供对HFPS的专家评估，以确保安全运营，并避免过度监测要求给公司带来不必要的财务负担。这个项目将建立一个由训练有素的EA工作人员评估HFPS的有效程序。我有10多年的经验和10多本关于地震监测和估计地震事件震源参数的国际同行评议出版物，我很有资格交付这个项目。我的背景包括在工业流体注入项目(碳封存和水力压裂)的微地震监测方面工作5年以上。这项研究对英国水力压裂的监管具有重要意义，我非常有资格向EA传达这一点。

This NERC Innovation Placement will embed the required expertise in the Environment Agency (EA) to efficiently and appropriately regulate hydraulic fracturing (HF) activities for the exploitation of shale gas/oil reserves in the UK. This is crucial for the short- and long-term success of the industry, which has significant potential worth to the UK's economy. The EA's remit includes the requirement to protect groundwater from pollution as a result of high pressure and volume HF and operators of shale exploration sites must submit a Hydraulic Fracturing Plan (HFP) to the EA for approval. This should include how the company will monitor the movement of HF fluids to verify they do not transgress the permitted boundary for exploration. Passive seismic monitoring (PSM) is currently considered the most appropriate method to achieve this because seismic event locations can indicate the extent of fluid migration. However, this type of monitoring is not a perfect solution and there remain uncertainties in the reported results. This project will embed geophysical knowledge in the organisation so the EA will be equipped to1. Evaluate proposed PSM and other geophysical methods for their suitability for the task;2. Assess the probability of a leaking wellbore in the event of a seismic event close to an active exploration site;3. Understand developing technologies and assess when they become acceptable monitoring solutions. To achieve these objectives, I will work with key EA staff in the Oil and Gas Programme, notably Simon Dawson (Technical Specialist in Geophysics) and Marion Maloney (Senior Advisor in Energy and Emerging Issues), to transfer scientific knowledge and the latest research in PSM. I will collaboratively develop and deliver two versions of a one-day workshop for EA staff to provide them with knowledge in basic earthquake source parameter estimation (e.g., location and magnitude) and current (e.g., geophone) and developing (e.g., fibre-optic) technology. With these staff, I will also build assessment criteria for proposed monitoring set-ups to improve the efficiency of HFP assessment. Additionally, I will develop a tool for the EA to assess the likelihood and extent of damage to a wellbore if seismicity is recorded. This tool will make use of available seismic event locations, magnitudes and fault plane solutions to model the probability that a wellbore has experienced deformation of a given displacement, thereby allowing an assessment of the risk of groundwater pollution.The key challenge faced by the EA is that there are knowledge gaps in geophysical monitoring amongst its staff. The Agency's regulation of the conventional oil and gas industry in the UK does not require any seismic monitoring plans. In the past, there has therefore been no need for specialised geophysical knowledge, in particular in PSM, at the EA. With shale gas exploration due to restart in the UK in 2017 the EA expects to receive HFPs from several exploration companies in the coming year. It is vital that this nascent industry, which has been and will be subject to significant public scrutiny, monitors projects appropriately and proportionately. Furthermore, the EA must be able to provide an expert assessment of HFPs to ensure safe operations and to avoid undue financial burdens on companies caused by excessive monitoring requirements. This project will put in place an efficient process to assess HFPs by well-trained EA staff.With over 10 years' experience and more than 10 international, peer-reviewed publications on seismic monitoring and estimating source parameters for seismic events, I am well placed to deliver this project. My background includes over 5 years working on microseismic monitoring of industrial fluid injection projects (carbon sequestration and hydraulic fracturing). This research has significant implications for the regulation of hydraulic fracturing in the UK and I am in an excellent position to communicate this to the EA.