Multidisciplinary analysis of ground movements: An underground gas storage case study

Abstract

The paper presents a multi-physics investigation of the ground movements related to the cyclical and seasonal injection and withdrawal of natural gas in/from a depleted reservoir located in the Po Plain area, Italy. Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAr) data (from 2003) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data (from 2008) provided a full and coherent panorama of almost two decades of ground movement in the monitored area (more extended than the field boundary). The analysis of the acquired millimetric-scale movements together with the detailed geological analysis, both at reservoir and at regional scale, represents the focal point for understanding the investigated phenomena. Based on this information, a fully integrated and multidisciplinary geological, fluid-flow and geomechanical numerical modeling approach was developed to reproduce the main geometrical and structural features of the involved formations together with the poromechanics processes induced by the storage operations. The main achievement of the adopted methodology is a deep knowledge of the system and the involved processes, which is mandatory for the safety of the urbanized areas and the effective management of the underground resources.