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Controlling Fluid-Induced Seismicity During a 6.1-km-deep Geothermal Stimulation in Finland

Grzegorz Kwiatek1, Tero Saarno2, Thomas Ader3, Felix Bluemle4, Marco Bohnhoff5, Michael Chendorain3, Georg Dresen6, Pekka Heikkinen7, Ilmo Kukkonen8, Peter Leary9, Maria Leonhardt10, Peter Malin11, Patricia Martínez-Garzón Martínez-Garzón12, Kevin Passmore9


May 19-22 2019 – 2019 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, San Antonio, Texas

Posted: June 30, 2019

Abstract

We show that near-realtime seismic monitoring of fluid injection allowed control of induced earthquakes during the stimulation of a 6.1 km-deep geothermal well near Helsinki, Finland. A total of 18,160 m3 of fresh water was pumped into crystalline rocks over 49 days in June-July 2018. Seismic monitoring was performed with a 24-station borehole seismometer network. Using near-realtime information on induced-earthquake rates, locations, magnitudes, and evolution of seismic and hydraulic energy, pumping was either stopped or varied - in the latter case, between wellhead-pressures of 60-90 MPa and flow rates of 400-800 l/min. This procedure avoided the nucleation of a project-stopping magnitude M 2.1 induced earthquake, a limit set by local authorities. Our results suggest a possible physics-based approach to controlling stimulation induced seismicity in geothermal projects.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90350 © 2019 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, San Antonio, Texas, May 19-22, 2019

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