MicroSeismic, Inc. will receive $199,721 as part of the Department of Energy grants totaling $16,676,827 to 77 small businesses in 25 states, in support of scientific energy innovation and clean energy development.
The MicroSeismic DOE project will focus on a turnkey service to create an electromagnetic monitoring network for use during carbon storage/injection operations. The new MicroSeismic CSEM monitoring service, under the brand-name CO2SeQure, will help ensure the safe and compliant operation of industrial scale CO2 storage facilities.
Principally, the CSEM system can efficiently and economically measure the extent of the CO2 brine plume helping to ensure the safe and effective operation of storage facilities, which is critical to the long-term effectiveness of carbon sequestration.
Dr. Peter M. Duncan, CEO & Founder of MicroSeismic said, “Safe and efficient geologic sequestration of CO2 requires monitoring and validation during injection to ensure the integrity of the storage formation and caprock. It is important to safely and efficiently monitor and measure the extent of the CO2 plume so that injection rates can be controlled to prevent leakage from the geological reservoir. With this grant, we will continue developing a turnkey monitoring service using electromagnetic methods that will ensure the safe and efficient operation of industrial scale CO2 storage facilities.”
This is the second grant MicroSeismic has received from the DOE, and MicroSeismic continues to thrive as it repurposes its extensive geophysical expertise in support of a net-zero initiative. The first grant, awarded in 2022, covered modeling, design, and planning for the installation and operation of a passive seismic monitoring service, and this grant serves as a powerful complementary technology to that service.
Through the DOE Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, the federal government enables and encourages small businesses that power the U.S. economy and generate thousands of jobs, both directly and indirectly.
The DOE SBIR/STTR awards seek to transform DOE-supported science and technology breakthroughs into viable turnkey products and services. The awards also support the development of specialized technologies and instruments that aid in scientific discovery.