Silixa Launches Fiber Optic Sensing-based Monitoring Solution for Carbon Capture

Silixa has launched Carina CarbonSecure, its distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) based solution for continuous or on-demand monitoring of all stages of carbon capture and storage (CCS) operations, the company said on Nov. 24. The new solution offers offshore and on-land operators the necessary monitoring measures with a reduced cost and environmental impact of their CCS facilities. The solution enables operators to provide the assurance to regulators and communities necessary to expand CCS adoption worldwide. 

Carina CarbonSecure delivers ultra-high resolution, densely sampled acoustic data for real-time continuous and on-demand monitoring. Elements of the solution include micro seismic monitoring and passive seismic throughout the lifetime of a CO₂ storage facility. The system also includes 3D vertical seismic profiling (VSP), time-lapse seismic, well-integrity and leak detection to ensure maximum safety over the various stages of CCS development.

Carina CarbonSecure is a reservoir management tool. It can be deployed to assess the viability of geological formations for carbon storage during site characterization; monitor micro seismic activity during the injection phase; ensure well and storage integrity when CO₂ is being injected; and provide 4D monitoring of the CO₂ plume migration throughout the lifetime of the facility.

 At the core of Carina CarbonSecure is Silixa’s Carina Sensing System, a patented, precision-engineered fiber-optic acoustic sensing system that is proven to achieve 20 dB or 100 times improvement in signal-to-noise ratio compared to standard DAS systems.

Carina CarbonSecure requires minimal seismic sources on land and fewer seismic shots offshore to acquire seismic data, meaning it can significantly reduce a project’s environmental impact and cost. The system can be fully automated, enabling unmanned and remote seismic surveys on demand, lowering costs further while increasing employee safety.

In addition, Carina CarbonSecure’s fiber array delivers high resolution temperature data, is permanently installed and, because it has no mechanical parts, can be used without maintenance for decades in line with mandated CCS monitoring periods.

“CCS is a key component of the energy transition and plays an essential role in achieving international emissions targets,” Glynn Williams, CEO at Silixa, said. “Studies from both the IPCC and the IEA recommend a renewed focus on CCS as the only proven technology that can be deployed at the scale needed to achieve essential climate goals. That is why we are launching Carina CarbonSecure: to enable the low-cost, reliable, and exceptionally accurate monitoring capability that is crucial to the take-up of CCS.”