One of 158 Grants Totaling $35 Million Nationwide to Support Scientific Innovation and Clean Energy Development
U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm has announced that MicroSeismic, Inc will receive $153,000 as part of 82 Department of Energy grants totaling $100 million to 68 small businesses in 24 states, including projects relating to wind turbine and wind farms, improved battery electrolytes, solar generation of hydrogen, and upcycling of carbon dioxide, along with a wide range of other efforts.
“Supporting small businesses will ensure we are tapping into all of America’s talent to develop clean energy technologies that will help us tackle the climate crisis,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “DOE’s investments will enable these economic engines to optimize and commercialize their breakthroughs, while developing the next generation of climate leaders and helping to build a sustainable future to benefit all Americans.”
Through the SBIR/STTR program across the federal government, small business powers the U.S. economy and generates thousands of jobs, both directly and indirectly, the DOE notes. DOE Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards aim at transforming DOE-supported science and technology breakthroughs into viable products and services. The awards also support the development of specialized technologies and instruments that aid in scientific discovery.
MicroSeismic, Inc will receive $153,000 to design and plan for the installation and operation of a turnkey, long-term, real-time seismic monitoring service for CCS facilities in the USA.
Dr. Peter M. Duncan, President and CEO of MicroSeismic said, “Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a key element in the USA’s carbon emissions reduction strategy. A critical requirement in geologic carbon storage is monitoring, validation and accounting for CO2 during and after injection. In this project we will develop a turnkey microseismic monitoring service that will ensure the safe operation of industrial scale CO2 storage facilities. Specifically, this would enable operators of CCS facilities to make better operational decisions about the state of the storage formation, CO2 injection rates, and reservoir integrity. Ensuring safe operation of any storage facility is critical to their long-term utility. Reducing or eliminating significant seismic events is also critical to public perception and acceptance.”
This initial grant covers modeling, design, and planning for the installation and operation of the monitoring service and the selection of a test site on which to validate the service. Phase 2 of the project will include installation of a prototypical system consisting of a permanent array of microseismic sensors, autonomous data collection and telemetry, and automated event detection and location system, all connected to the CCS facility operations center at the selected site.
MicroSeismic Inc. has been installing and operating seismic monitoring systems for more than 18 years, primarily for oil and gas facilities. With this project the company will port its proven technology to one of the critical components of today’s ESG strategies.
More information about all the projects announced by DOE is available at the following link: https://science.osti.gov/sbir