WP1 - Demonstartion in Iceland

Lead: ISOR

Demonstration case

The objective of this central WP is to support the operator, Reykjavik Energy (RE), during site selection, drilling, stimulation and operation phase of upcoming geothermal developments. This support included installing a denser and optimized seismic network for monitoring and imaging (WP2), operating seismic analysis tools optimized for geothermal plays, and operating a decision support tool for controlling induced seismicity while maximizing reservoir performance (WP3&4).

The operation of the Coseismiq Network is extended until Summer 2021. Excellent data has being collected and fully automated real-time processing chain is developed. There is significant improvement in seismic processing with the new configuration, especially on the detection of magnitudes. There is substantial improvement on the catalogue; the robustness and completeness of the catalogue are being significantly enhanced. A high‐resolution earthquake catalogue for the region is complete and the new catalogue is tested to adopt full automation. This forms the baseline for subsequent analyses.

An enhanced geo‐mechanical modelling framework for the Hengill area that promotes understanding of induced seismicity in the region has been developed. We adjusted our existing tools and workflows developed in the first two years of the project and enhanced in WP2-4 to Icelandic geothermal play conditions, calibrating them on past geothermal sequences and seismic data. This is done in a pseudo-prospect sense, replaying offline the seismic and hydraulic data such that the systems are adapting as new data become available. We compared the currently implemented built-in empirical model with the enhanced geo-mechanical model and conclude that no modifications are needed for a large-scale application. This will form the baseline for automated risk assessment and provides input for decision support of geothermal operators.

Major Output of this WP is the tested and validated “The Real-Time Induced Seismicity Controller (RISC) tool”.