Short Course: Fractures in Complex Rock, Borehole seismology and Enhanced Geothermal Systems

Time: August 26-27, 2015
Place: University of Helsinki, Kumpula Campus, Physicum, C 107

1 credit point

Lecturer: Adjunct Prof. Peter Malin, Advanced Seismic Instrumentation and Research LLC, Carbondale, Colorado & Duke University, North Carolina, USA

The short course discusses fractures, fracture properties and stress field with the special emphasis on development geothermal energy resources, and applications of borehole seismology in mapping fractures generated with hydraulic fracturing. Flow in fractured medium is the most important phenomenon controlling the success or failure of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). The short course comprises classes and discussions aimed for post-graduate students, advanced undergraduates and professionals taking an interest in problems of fluid flow in crystalline rock, hydraulic permeability of fractured rock, geothermal energy, mapping of fracture systems with seismic methods, design of borehole  observatories and seismicity induced with hydraulic fracturing.

PROGRAM
26.8: Fractures in Complex Rock

• Part I – The Motivations for the New Approach
– Poor geothermal well productivity – e.g. Ohaaki, New Zealand
– Well logs and cores: 1/k media
– Flows, faults and shear stress in 1/k

• Part II – The Exploration Signatures
– Fractures and Anisotropic Geophysics
– Shear Wave Splitting
– MT Polarization Splitting
– Joint Splitting – Krafla
– Tomographic Fracture Imaging: the new frontier in seismic exploration

• Part III – The Rock-Physics Signatures and Models
– 1/k illustrated
– Poro-perm in fractured media movie
– The 3 rules of physical properties in fractured rock
– Incline Decline production curves in O&G and EGS
27.8.: Borehole Seismology in the time of Induced Earthquakes

• Part I – Why?
– Detection
– Location
– Hazard and Risk

• Part II – How?
– Equipment
– Installation
– Best practices

• Part III – …and More!
– 4 component seismology
– Ambient seismology: The fundamentals of Tomographic Fracture Imaging

Registration deadline 16.8.2015

Registration form

Student members of the Doctoral Program in Geology from outside the Helsinki Metropolitan area will be reimbursed for moderate travel and accommodation costs. If you need support for travel and accommodation, please indicate that in the registration form.