45 DECEMBER 2023 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Using Waves to Make Waves Adapted from Information by Oak Ridge National Laboratory Seismic researcher, Chengping Chai is building a map of the world beneath our feet using seismic and acoustic data, revealing when and where the earth moves. However, earthquakes are not the focus of his research at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). He is using these waves to make waves - creating new opportunities for developing clean energy. Chai is a geophysicist who works closely with ORNL scientist Monica Maceira, a collaboration which began when Maceira was managing ORNL’s seismology portfolio and Chai was a graduate student at Pennsylvania State University. He initially used seismic imaging at different scales to better pinpoint earthquake epicenters. Since joining ORNL’s Energy Sciences and Technology Directorate in 2018, he has shifted his focus in new directions. He decided to concentrate on how seismology relates to clean energy. He soon discovered it is foundational to the safe operation of both geothermal energy and carbon storage, two groundbreaking approaches for reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Both carbon storage and geothermal energy projects require knowledge of underground spaces - where fissures are located and where the earth moves. These questions are answered primarily with seismic and acoustic sensing. “We need to use these tools before, during, and after these projects occur,” Chai stated. “We need to understand the subsurface for choosing sites and drilling boreholes. During the pumping of water or carbon dioxide, we need to monitor how the fluid is moving and how the fracture is going. And afterward, we need to see if the fracture remains as intended or is evolving the way we want.” Accurate seismic information enhances safety and the effectiveness of operations. For example, geothermal projects rely on generating a network of large but stable fractures. More accurate mapping of fractures could help enhance the capacity of geothermal power plants. Chai developed cutting-edge machine learning techniques and advanced seismic data processing algorithms using data sets from earthquakes in Oklahoma. He applied physics and artificial intelligence to create high-resolution, 3D images of the subsurface. The goal is to get higher resolution information faster, with the ultimate goal being real time. This could enable on-the-spot decisions about altering operations to prevent earthquakes. The current process for high-precision seismic analysis is so labor intensive it takes months or even years. Chai is still refining his technique, but for a single step of the analysis, his deep-learning approach detected more seismic events and took 99.9% less time. Chai’s new technique will provide insight on how fluid moves underground and the impact it has on existing fractures. ENV DON’T TURN THIS PAGE
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