I-Corps: Imaging and locating geothermal resources using distributed acoustic sensing deployed on telecommunication fiber cables

I-Corps：使用部署在电信光缆上的分布式声学传感对地热资源进行成像和定位

• 批准号: 2344558
• 负责人: Zhongwen Zhan
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: California Institute of Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-02-01 至 2025-01-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2344558&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Corps; Imaging; locating; geothermal; resources

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a subsurface imaging technology that uses existing telecommunication fiber infrastructure for earthquake monitoring and subsurface imaging. The proposed technology relies on natural seismicity recorded on existing telecommunication fiber networks using a laser interferometric system called distributed acoustic sensing. This approach may significantly decrease the upfront costs of geophysical studies for geothermal energy exploration and production. Specifically, it may reduce the exploration risk through the identification of optimal subsurface structures associated with high-energy geothermal reservoirs. In addition, it also may provide invaluable insights into complex subsurface systems such as volcanoes and geothermal reservoirs.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a tomographic method that employs distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) data recorded on pre-existing telecommunication fibers. Compared to conventional seismic instruments, DAS data provides a meter-scale spatial resolution covering tens of kilometers using a single instrument. This technology has been successfully applied to a large-scale volcanic system such as the Long Valley caldera located in Mammoth Lakes, California, which significantly advanced the understanding of this volcano. Additionally, the reported subsurface images have been shown to improve the characterization of the structures associated with the hydrothermal system currently employed by a 30 MW geothermal power plant located within the caldera.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该 I-Corps 项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发地下成像技术，该技术使用现有的电信光纤基础设施进行地震监测和地下成像。 所提出的技术依赖于使用称为分布式声学传感的激光干涉系统在现有电信光纤网络上记录的自然地震活动。这种方法可以显着降低地热能勘探和生产的地球物理研究的前期成本。具体来说，它可以通过识别与高能地热储层相关的最佳地下结构来降低勘探风险。此外，它还可以为火山和地热储层等复杂的地下系统提供宝贵的见解。该 I-Corps 项目基于断层扫描方法的开发，该方法采用记录在现有电信光纤上的分布式声学传感 (DAS) 数据。与传统地震仪器相比，DAS 数据使用单个仪器即可提供覆盖数十公里的米级空间分辨率。该技术已成功应用于大型火山系统，例如位于加利福尼亚州猛犸湖的长谷火山口，极大地推进了对这座火山的了解。此外，报告的地下图像已被证明可以改善与目前位于火山口内的 30 MW 地热发电厂所使用的热液系统相关的结构的特征。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过评估被认为值得支持利用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准。