3D seismic imaging and geological modeling of the Hontomin CO2 storage site, Spain

Abstract

This thesis is organized as a compendium of three scientific articles, describing the geological characterization of the Hontomín site for Geological Storage of CO2 by means of 3D seismic data, acquired for this purpose, as well as the available well-log and regional data. The three articles form the core of this thesis and constitute the main scientific effort developed therein. These are:

• Alcalde, J., Martí, D., Calahorrano, A., Marzán, I., Ayarza, P., Carbonell, R., Juhlin, C. and Pérez-Estaún, A. 2013a. Active seismic characterization experiments of the Hontomín research facility for geological storage of CO2, Spain. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 19, 785-795.

• Alcalde, J., Martí, D., Juhlin, C., Malehmir, A., Sopher, D., Saura, E., Marzán, I., Ayarza, P., Calahorrano, A., Pérez-Estaún, A., and Carbonell, R. 2013b. 3D Reflection Seismic Imaging of the Hontomín structure in the Basque-Cantabrian Basin (Spain). Solid Earth4, pp. 481-496.

• Alcalde, J., Marzán, I., Saura, E., Martí, D., Ayarza, P., Juhlin, C., Pérez-Estaún, A., and Carbonell, R. 2014. 3D geological characterization of the Hontomín CO2 storage site, Spain: multidisciplinary approach from seismics, well-logging and regional data. Tectonophysics (accepted).

The thesis begins with an Introduction (Chapter I), in which the motivations and aims of the thesis are presented. These include the problematic derived from anthropogenic emissions of CO2, and present Carbon Capture and Storage technology as an effective method to reach energetic sustainability. This chapter also includes the state-of-the-art seismic reflection method applied to CO2 storage, as well as an outline of the regional and local geology of the study area.

The first article (Alcalde et al., 2013a) constitutes Chapter II of the thesis. It presents and describes the active seismic experiments conducted at the Hontomín site for the seismic characterization. The data acquisition is described in detail, with an emphasis on the most relevant factors that affected the quality of the acquired data. These factors include the geomorphological/topographical aspects of the study area, logistical issues during the acquisition. The effects on the seismic records of a near-surface velocity inversion are also discussed. This contribution also shows a preliminary seismic image of the subsurface, which allows outlining the general dome shape of the target structure.

The second article (Alcalde et al., 2013b) comprises Chapter III of the thesis. It outlines the processing applied to the seismic data that led to the final migrated seismic image. It includes a detailed discussion about which processes were more effective in enhancing the quality of the obtained image. The image was judged to be suitable for interpretation and constitutes the primary seismic model, to be used as reference baseline during the monitoring stage. Furthermore, the top of the Jurassic dome structure was mapped, allowing us to provide an overall estimation of the size of the target structure, which is a 107 m2 elongated dome with a maximum CO2 storage capacity of 1.2 Gt.

The third article (Alcalde et al., 2014), included in Chapter IV of the thesis, focuses on the interpretation of the seismic image and the building of a 3D geological model. The quality of the seismic data required a geologically driven approach to enable interpretation. This approach used a conceptual model as reference, which was inferred in the first place from the correlation of the available well-log data and later improved by the seismic facies analysis and the regional geological data. The conceptual model was used to interpret the seismic data and resulted in a 9-layered 3D geological model and a thorough description of the fault system present in the area.

Esta tesis tiene como objetivo la caracterización geológica 3D de la Planta de Desarrollo Tecnológico para el Almacenamiento Geológico de CO2 de Hontomín (Burgos). Esta caracterización se ha llevado a cabo mediante el procesado y la interpretación de datos de sísmica de reflexión 3D adquiridos para ese propósito en verano de 2010.