Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) is the use of technology and processes to remove CO2 from the atmosphere, followed by recycling the CO2 for utilisation (by conversion into, plastics, concrete, biofuel, etc) and finally any excess CO2 permanently being stored underground.
CCUS plays an important and diverse role in meeting global energy and climate goals but despite the adoption of alternative energy sources and energy efficient systems to reduce the rate of CO2 emissions, the cumulative amount of CO2 in the atmosphere needs to be reduced to limit the detrimental impacts of climate change (IPCC, 2013).
CCS (Carbon, capture and storage) is the process of storing carbon captured in the subsurface, without the utilisation.
The capture of CO2 can be done in different ways, directly from the sources of emissions or even in the air. This process can involve a variety of technologies, such as the use of solvents or membranes.
Once captured, the concentrated CO2 becomes capable of being transported to environments where it can be used as raw material for the development of new products, such as synthetic fuels. An alternative option is to store it underground.
The idea of storage seems, at first glance, the best solution to decrease the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, especially because the potential of the storage reservoir is quite vast. In addition, the technology involved is already mature. However, the process involves important legal issues, for example, liability for the risk of possible leakages and jurisdictional complexities in relation to the use of underground property (IEA, 2022; NETL, 2022).
CO2 storage requires certain geological conditions to be met to make it successful. This in turn requires a thorough understanding of the subsurface, not only to find the right host, but to also monitor the newly created “reservoir” because CO2 leakage can incur serious risk if it reaches certain geological formations.
Some challenges that operators or contractors can experience when undertaking CCUS projects are...
Securing the funding for the projects to go ahead
Long permitting periods, with legislation that is not clear on what exactly has to be done (seismic or not)
Not receiving data fast enough to help de-risk ‘pre-drilling’ decisions during the exploration phase
Which can occur during the CCUS injection and storage stage
During exploration:
During operations (monitoring)
Survey-based around varying geometry of 2D receiver lines. An economical choice to scout and explore prospective areas for potential CCUS projects, or to gain further knowledge on a site already identified as a potential CCUS site.
A high-density 3D survey, normally acquired pre-drill to characterise the subsurface of the potential CCUS site. Knowledge gained supports de-risking of future project phases (drilling, injection, etc) mitigating against HSE risks, well failures and cost overruns.
Various economical and long-term solutions to monitor the CCUS site. Predominantly for tracking the CO2 plume in the subsurface. Options are adaptable to local regulations and budgetary limits; semi-permanent arrays, radial lines, coarse 3D survey, etc.
Dependent on local regulation and stakeholder needs various levels of seismicity monitoring may be required. Options can range from several nodes to hundreds to assist in detecting and locating subsurface seismicity.
Similar to the baseline 3D survey, over time repeat 3D surveys may be required to analyse the ongoing or completed CCUS project. This can also support the expansion of the CCUS project into neighbouring areas and/or support the plan for the field’s life cycle.
At STRYDE, we understand that budget and internal resources for seismic projects can be limited, and we have tailored our tried and tested solutions to meet the needs of our clients operating in the CCUS sector.
We offer complete flexibility in our support solutions, ranging from a full land seismic turn-key service to “supply only” of state-of-the-art Nodal equipment, fast-track data processing solutions, and survey design optimisation.
An end-to-end solution comprising of survey planning, survey design and optimisation, delivery of seismic acquisition programs using cutting-edge technology and techniques, and seismic data processing solutions.
Development of a seismic survey plan (single project or long-term (multi-year program)) to support permitting/regulation compliance
Design of a fully optimised 2D, pseudo-3D, 3D or monitoring survey (seismicity, leakage detection, and/or plume tracking)
Efficient and cost-effective seismic inclusive of the world's smallest, lightest and most affordable receiver system, source technologies and the survey acquisition team required to execute the survey
Low cost, fast-track seismic data processing, inclusive of time, depth and analysis of seismicity data
Read our case studies and blogs to learn about our ground-breaking nodal seismic systems...
A case study demonstrating how STRYDE's nodal seismic systems enabled an ultra-high-density seismic survey to be acquired for a CCUS application.
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Uncover how the STRYDE Node™ offers realtimeseismic geothermal clients the perfect solution for all the challenges that the industry has traditionally faced.
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Geophysical Advisor, Chris Einchcomb, discusses the common challenges associated with achieving survey design excellence and offers insights and advice for designing an efficient and effective seismic survey.
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In this blog, Kevin O’Connell, Head of Field Operations at STRYDE discusses some of the top operational challenges associated with the use of cable-based systems and offers practical methods and advice to help overcome these.
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Gain in-depth insights from technical papers written by our team of experts...
Some of our STRYDE experts present a new generation of smaller, lighter nodes making denser seismic accessible to the renewable market.
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This technical paper published by EAGE and written by STRYDE, Seismic Mechatronics, Dayboro Geophysical and Delft University of Technology, discusses how an eVibe paired with STRYDE Nodes™ were used in a restrictive urban environment.
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The latest innovations in land seismic recording systems are discussed and reviewed in this paper published in EAGE's First Break's January 2022 edition.
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An in-depth review discussing whether recording acceleration or velocity is the best sensor for land nodal seismic
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