A layer stripping approach for monitoring CO2 storage sites using surface magnetotelluric responses

Abstract:

In this work we present an approach, called “layer stripping”, to enhance the sensitivity of surface magnetotelluric responses to subtle subsurface temporal variations in electrical resistivity. The proposed methodology is based on the analytical solution of the one-dimensional magnetotelluric problem, and that both resolution and sensitivity to resistivity changes produced at a given depth increase when the data are acquired closer to the depth where the resistivity changes are taking place. Thus, given a well-known geoelectrical baseline model of a reservoir site, the layer stripping approach aims to remove the effects of the upper, unchanging, structures in order to obtain the time-varying magnetotelluric responses at the target depth. The layer stripping methodology is suggested for monitoring all types of reservoirs but in this work we focus on its application on CO₂ geological storage sites. Different injections of CO₂ are studied simulating one-dimensional and three-dimensional resistivity variations in the reservoir layer, and the feasibility of the method is appraised evaluating the error of the approach. The geoelectrical baseline model of the Hontomín site (Spain) for CO₂ geological storage in a deep saline aquifer is used to assess how this methodology could be implemented in an actual monitoring survey. The resistivity model of the site defines the subsurface in the pre-injection state and allows applying the layer stripping approach to remove the effect of the upper structures not affected by injection of the CO₂ gas from the surface MT responses. The proposed approach constitutes an innovative contribution to detect resistivity variations and locate them more precisely in the space. The obtained results show the potential of the method also to sense any possible leakage.