MONITORING OF DRINKING WATER AQUIFERS DURING POSSIBLE CONTAMINATION OPERATIONS

• US 20130197810A1
• Filed: 01/28/2013
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Allan Kayser Haas, Andre Revil
• Original Assignee: Allan Kayser Haas, Andre Revil
• Inventors: Haas, Allan Kayser, Revil, Andre
• Application Number:
  US13/751,978
• Publication Number:
  US 20130197810A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/12
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/26 by forming crevices or fractures
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/06 Measuring temperature or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/113 using electrical indications; using light radiations
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/08 operating with magnetic or electric fields produced or modified by objects or geological structures or by detecting devices with electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 9/00 Prospecting or detecting by methods not provided for in groups G01V1/00 - G01V8/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 9/02 Determining existence or flow of underground water
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00

Abstract

A method and system for monitoring the integrity of a water aquifer is provided. The method and system generally monitors an aquifer for subsurface fractures, fluid intrusion, or water contamination. In one embodiment, the method and system may be utilized before, during, and after contaminating operations to monitor a water aquifer and generate reports detailing the effect of the contaminating operations on the water aquifer. The reports, and associated raw data, may be used as legal documents. For example, in one embodiment, an independent company is responsible for monitoring the aquifer and generating reports, which are then submitted to all interested parties, including the state for regulatory purposes.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring an aquifer proximate to a potentially contaminating operation, the method comprising:

drilling at least one monitoring wells;

positioning at least one sensor in the at least one monitoring wells;

acquiring measurements with the at least one sensor; and

analyzing the measurements for disturbance signals.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is selected from the group consisting of at least one pressure sensor, at least one temperature sensor, at least one chemical sensor, at least one vector magnetometer, at least one electric potential sensor employing at least one non-polarizing electrode, at least one electric potential sensor employing at least one metallic electrode, at least one electric potential sensor employing at least one non-polarizing electrode and at least one polarizing electrode and combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor is the at least one electric potential sensor employing the at least one metallic electrode.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor is the at least one non-polarizing electrode.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor is the at least one electric potential sensor employing the at least one non-polarizing electrode and the at least one polarizing electrode.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising a timing synchronizer, wherein the timing synchronizer minimizing differences between measurements of the at least one sensor.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one preamplifier to amplify the signal from the at least one sensor.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor is the at least one temperature sensor for correcting the measurements.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring the telluric effects;

and accounting for the telluric effects when analyzing the measurements.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the measurements are analog measurements, wherein the method further comprises converting the analog measurements to a digital measurement.

11. A system for monitoring an aquifer proximate to a potentially contaminating operation, the system comprising:

at least one monitoring well positioned in proximity to at least one monitored well;

at least one sensor in the at least one monitoring well;

a data acquisition system for receiving information from the at least one sensor; and

a processing system for processing the information.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising at least one device, and at least one device preamplifier.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one device is selected from the group consisting of a vector magnetometer, geophone, a hydrophone, an accelerometer and combinations thereof.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one sensor is selected from the group consisting of at least one pressure sensor, at least one temperature sensor, at least one chemical sensor, at least one vector magnetometer, at least one electric potential sensor employing at least one non-polarizing electrode, at least one electric potential sensor employing at least one metallic electrode, at least one electric potential sensor employing at least one non-polarizing electrode and at least one polarizing electrode and combinations thereof.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising a timing synchronizer to minimize differences between measurements of the at least one sensor.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising a magnetotelluric monitoring system, the magnetotelluric monitoring system comprising:

a communication interface;

a signal digitizer;

a timing synchronizer;

a controller;

a coil interface;

an electrode interface;

at least one non-polarizing electrodes, wherein the at least one non-polarizing electrodes communicates with the electrode interface; and

at least one temperature sensor.

17. The system of claim 11, further comprising at least one induction based sensor coil, wherein the at least one induction based sensor coil interfaces with the coil interface.

18. The system claim 11, wherein the at least one sensor outputs analog measurements, further comprising a converter for converting the analog measurements to the digital measurement.

19. A method for monitoring an abandoned well for a potential leak, the method comprising:

collecting measurements near the abandoned well at a surface of the abandoned well;

generating a differential spacial distribution streaming potential distribution with the measurements;

generating spatial changes in resistivity within a zone relatively near the abandoned well with the measurements; and

analyzing the spatial distribution streaming potential distribution and the spatial changes in resistivity to determine if the abandoned well is leaking.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

repeating the collecting measurements after the abandoned well is repaired to determine if a leak still exists.