Within in the scope of the joint project BRINE the synergetic utilisation of CO2 storage and geothermal heat production of a saline aquifer in Eastern Brandenburg was investigated. One of the main objectives was to design an integrated geophysical monitoring system, consisting of geoelectrics, electromagnetics and magnetotellurics, to observe possible saltwater migration within the reservoir. The group is principally concerned with electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), a measurement method with a comparatively high spatial resolution on small scales. Therefore, it will be generally used for borehole and near subsurface investigations. Essential requirements for a successful detectability are both sufficient temporal and high vertical resolution of the resistivity changes. There is a non-linear relation between the salt concentration and electrical resistivity. For this reason, comprehensive investigations on laboratory scale were realised in order to determine the measurable detection limits of changes in resistivity and salt concentrations, respectively. By means of probable salinisation scenarios, different electrode configurations and combinations were tested in order to find optimised measuring setups. In parallel, the results of this study were verified in a laboratory sandbox model.

see also: http://www.geotechnologien.de/index.php/en/co2-speicherung/brine-2.html