The main goal of BRINE is to develop an early warning system for expansion of CO2 and possible upward movement of saline groundwater and additionally to develop a coupled numeric model to identify the driving forces of saltwater migration in deep geological formations. The design of the integrated early warning systems includes electromagnetic methods with natural (MT) and controlled sources (CSEM) in concert with electrical tomography (ERT) measurements along observation wells and shallow electromagnetic profiling (EM) in critical regions. The magnetotelluric work package is focused on the regional scale resistivity distribution and on the detection of an expansion of the CO2 plume. Various scenarios of CO2 and salt migration are simulated using numerical methods. Numerical models are also developed to optimize design and geometry of transmitter (CSEM) and receiver (MT) positions for the integrated early warning system. In March 2012, 28 MT sites were collected along a 40-km long profile in the Beeskow area in northeast Germany. The regional scale electrical resistivity models obtained from the measurements were used to calibrate the simulation results of both the MT and ERT work packages.

Time Frame

• 05/2010 - 09/2014

Funding

• Vattenfall Europe AG
• Bohrlochmessung Storkow GmbH

Principal investigator

• PD Dr. Oliver Ritter (GFZ) - (MT monitoring)

Personnel

• Dr. Gerard Muñoz (GFZ)

Cooperations

• GFZ (coordination role)
• BTU Cottbus

Methods & Equipment

• Magnetotellurics
• SPAM Mk IV real time instruments
• Induction coils (Metronix)
• Ag/AgCl electrodes (GFZ)

Publications/Results

•    n/a

Acknowledgments

• The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Grant Nr. 03G0758A/B) and is part of the Geotechnologien program.
• The instruments for the field experiment were provided by the magnetotelluric component of the Geophysical Instrument Pool Potsdam (GIPP-MT).

Additional information

• Carbon Dioxide-Storage in Eastern Brandenburg - a project description from Geotechnologien program
• Field work: 03/2012