Combining Space Geodesy, Seismology, and Geochemistry for Monitoring Verification and Accounting of CO₂ in Sequestration Sites

A series of surface geophysical and geochemical techniques are tested in order to demonstrate and validate low cost approaches for Monitoring, Verification and Accounting (MVA) of the integrity of deep reservoirs for CO2 storage. These techniques are (i) surface deformation by GPS; ii) surface deformation by InSAR; iii) passive source seismology via broad band seismometers; and iv) soil gas monitoring with a cavity ring down spectrometer for measurement of CO2 concentration and carbon isotope ratio. The techniques were tested at an active EOR (Enhanced Oil Recovery) site in Texas. Each approach has demonstrated utility. Assuming Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) activities become operational in the future, these techniques can be used to augment more expensive down-hole techniques.