Tensora has deployed a fiber-optic sensing for real-time monitoring for geological assets.

Tensor Sensor: a fiber optic sensor, that measures the strain in four orientations horizontally, as well as the vertical component to give nearly the full strain tensor. The solution uses interferometry, a technique that allows to measure strain at part-per-trillion resolution.

• The system requires low power and generates a few megabytes of data per day, which allows the stream data to the cloud in real-time.

Fundings

• The company received a fellowship from Activate to commercialize the technology.
• Over $6 million in funding was secured from the DOE for subsurface CO2 storage reservoir monitoring.

Case of study

Field demostration

• Deployed an array of Tensor Sensors at their test facility in northern Oklahoma to monitoring the deformation produced by wastewater injection into the Bartlesville sandstone reservoir.

Feasibility of deformation monitoring - leak detection

• Location: Algeria - In Salah CO2 storage reservoir
• Result: demonstrated that above-zone deformation monitoring could be used to detect leaks.

Roadmap

• Starting a pre-commercial pilot.

Tensora offers a service to carbon dioxide storage assets, with the following working process:

• GeoTwin: build a digital twin of a geologic asset that incorporates the fundamental physics of the project - this model is used to design a monitoring strategy that is optimized to the site.

• Deploy a monitoring array at the facility and start streaming the data to the cloud.

• Provide processed data products and data interpretation services to give insights to understand and monitor subsurface assets.

• Tensora has developed a platform for sensors to monitor fluid flow underground using surface measurements.

• The technology aims to de-risk geological assets and ensure safe storage.

• The sensor is a geophysical instrument made of stainless steel and optical fiber.

• It measures ground deformation in different orientations with high sensitivity.

• Technology Readiness Level 7.

• Detection system covers up to a 1 km area.

• System has been tested in extreme weather conditions.

• Already have deployed 14 instruments across four field sites in two countries and collected over three years of continuous data.

• The depth of the signal that can be detected depends on the magnitude of the change of pressure.

Tensora addresses the monitoring of geologic assets in carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) projects with their above-zone deformation monitoring, for assessment of geologic asset.

This technology could be used for characterizing and mitigating the imminent risk of leaks, which is important for protecting geologic assets and ensuring the viability of CCUS solutions for hard-to-abate industries.