Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

Microseismic events are very small earthquakes that can be associated with fracturing and fluid flow in reservoirs. These events are rarely, if ever, felt at the surface due to their low magnitudes. Microseismicity is used by the oil and gas industry to monitor hydraulic stimulation of "tight" hydrocarbon reservoirs. As such, it is one of the technologies underpinning the recent revival of conventional oil production in Western Canada, as well as the development of new tight-hydrocarbon fields. Increased hydrocarbon production generally also leads to increased water production, which must either be treated, recycled or disposed of underground. In some cases, hydraculic fracturing treatments and/or salt-water disposal has led to fault reactivation, causing seismicity felt at the surface. The current state of microseismic technology is ripe for accelerated discovery within an established university-industry partnership (Microseismic Industry Consortium). The objectives of this collaborative research and development program are: 1) to continue ongoing research on how to best process and interpret microseismic data; 2) to create new knowledge to improve our understanding of geomechanical aspects of earthquake processes; 3) to investigate if causal links exist between felt seismicity, hydraulic fracturing treatments and salt-water disposal, and if so how to reduce the hazard of induced seismicity; 4) to train highly-qualified personnel (HQP) to meet the demands of industry within this important technical field; and, 5) to enhance knowledge transfer between academia and industry. In particular, this project will provide support for at least 18 B.Sc. 4 M.Sc., 6 Ph.D. students, and 5 postdoctoral fellows. The university-industry synergies established through this partnership will create an innovation platform that promises to yield game-changing advances in the monitoring, modeling and interpretation of felt and non-felt induced (micro)-seismicity.