Optimal design of microseismic monitoring network for cost-effective monitoring of geologic carbon storage

Microseismic monitoring can play a crucial role to ensure safe long-term geological carbon storage. For reliable long-term monitoring for CO2-injection-induced microseismic events, both a surface seismic array and a borehole geophone array are desired. Optimal design of the seismic network is of great interest to achieve cost-effective monitoring. We develop a methodology to determine the optimal number of seismic stations with a geometrically satisfactory distribution for given monitoring regions. We design an optimal microseismic monitoring network based on widely accepted guiding principles, and the relationship between the location accuracy of microseismic events and the total number of seismic stations. We determine the optimal number of seismic stations based on the trade-off curve of the event location accuracy versus the total number of seismic stations. We demonstrate our optimal design method using models from the Kimberlina carbon storage site in California, USA.