• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.67-72
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• 2006

Injection of $CO_2$ into underground saline formations, due to their large storage capacity, is probably the most promising approach for the reduction of $CO_2$ emissions into the atmosphere. $CO_2$ storage must be carefully planned and monitored to ensure that the $CO_2$ is safely retained in the formation for periods of at least thousands of years. Seismic methods, particularly for offshore reservoirs, are the primary tool for monitoring the injection process and distribution of $CO_2$ in the reservoir over time provided that reservoir properties are favourable. Seismic methods are equally essential for the characterisation of a potential trap, determining the reservoir properties, and estimating its capacity. Hence, an assessment of the change in seismic response to $CO_2$ storage needs to be carried out at a very early stage. This must be revisited at later stages, to assess potential changes in seismic response arising from changes in fluid properties or mineral composition that may arise from chemical interactions between the host rock and the $CO_2$. Thus, carefully structured modelling of the seismic response changes caused by injection of $CO_2$ into a reservoir over time helps in the design of a long-term monitoring program. For that purpose we have developed a Graphical User Interface (GUI) driven rock physics simulator, designed to model both short and long-term 4D seismic responses to injected $CO_2$. The application incorporates $CO_2$ phase changes, local pressure and temperature changes. chemical reactions and mineral precipitation. By incorporating anisotropic Gassmann equations into the simulator, the seismic response of faults and fractures reactivated by $CO_2$ can also be predicted. We show field examples (potential $CO_2$ sequestration sites offshore and onshore) where we have tested our rock physics simulator. 4D seismic responses are modelled to help design the monitoring program.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.99-112
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• 2000

The Iksan Jurassic Granite shows relatively less fractures and homogeneous rock fabrics, and is one of the most popular stone materials for architectures and sculptures. Almost mutually perpendicular rift, grain, and halfway in the Iksan Jurassic Granite are well known to quarrymen based on its splitting directions, and therefore it should exhibit orthorhombic symmetry. Theoretically, there are 9 independent elastic stiffness coefficients $(C_{1111},\;C_{2222},\;C_{3333},\;C_{2323},\;C_{1313},\;C_{1212},\;C_{1122},\;C_{2233},\;and\;C_{1133})$ for orthorhombic anisotropy. In order to characterize the static and dynamic elastic properties of the Iksan Jurassic Granite, triaxial strains under uniaxial compressive stresses and ultrasonic velocities of elastic waves in three different polarizations are measured. Both experiments are carried out with six directional core samples from massive rock body. Using the results of experiments and the densities measured independently, the static and dynamic elastic coefficients are computed by simple mathematical manipulation derived from the governing equations for general anisotropic media. The static elastic coefficients increase ar uniaxial compressive stress rises. Among those, the static elastic coefficients at uniaxial compressive stress of a 24.5 MPa appear to be similar to the dynamic elastic coefficients under ambient condition. Although some deviations are observed, the preferred orientations of microcracks appear to be parallel or subparallel to the rift, the grain, and the hardway from microscopic observation of thin sections. This indicates that the preferred orientations of microcracks cause the elastic anisotropy of the Iksan Jurassic Granite. The results are to be applied to the effective use of the Iksan Jurassic Granite as stone materials, and can be used for the non-destructive safety test.