Automated Data Collection and Transmission System for Subsurface CO2 Monitoring: End-to-End Solution using Multi-modal Composite Compression

DOE identified a critical need for real-time collection and transmission of large monitoring datasets to enable real-time risk identification for carbon storage projects. We developed an adaptive low-cost automated data collection, compression, and transmission system to solve this problem. Monitoring, Verification, and Accounting (MVA) forms a significant cost component of any carbon storage campaign. Typically, a complex network of sensing technologies and data acquisition systems are deployed to continuously monitor CO2 migration during and after injection. These setups normally generate large volumes of intricate datasets that require swift transmission and affordable interpretation to enable both real-time decision-making and post-analysis. The conventional mechanisms for data transmission are often rudimentary, requiring significant time to transmit the high-resolution data to the cloud, and the processing needs significant human intervention. A low-cost MVA solution should address the data management bottlenecks available today including, but not limited to, insufficient bandwidth, inadequate in-situ storage and limited connectivity. Our solution to overcome these challenges is to architect a system that can: (i) significantly reduce the volume of the data captured on site, (ii) generate a reliable channel to combine and transmit compressed information to the database for further analyses, and (iii) provide streamlined protocols to standardize and expand the realtime monitoring procedures. Building on our findings in Phase I and II, our main objectives for Phase IIB are (i) increasing the efficiency and generality of our in-situ compression algorithms for field real-time application, (ii) field testing the technology in two CCS sites in Texas and New Mexico with support from our partner, New Mexico Tech, and (iii) develop and commercialize a data compression, transmission and visualization software platform to bring together our low-cost into one package. This platform provides the end-user with the power to monitor CO2 storage in real-time, and to seamlessly implement custom monitoring logics through the state-of-the-art yet simple drag-and-drop ETL interface, hence, accommodating users of all skill levels. The platform also includes our GeoDeck visualization software that provides quick and easy visualization of the data.