Dr. John Griffin, Associate Professor, Nicholls State University, will speak on “HOW, WHEN, WHERE, AND WHY DEEP WELL SALTWATER INJECTION INDUCES SEISMICITY”. Lunchtime meeting.
Abstract
Long dormant faults in basement rock below sedimentary basins have been recently “awakened” by injecting large volumes of produced saltwater-Oklahoma and Kansas are two instances. While friction along these dormant faults has prevented movement (historically geologic eons), the increase in pore pressure due to injection has reduced effective stress which allows hanging wall and foot wall to move relative to one another and this generates seismic energy reaching the surface. Buildings, foundation are damaged and in some cases, injury. Some states have responded with guidance, oversight, or making computer-based models readily available for injection well planning (https://hirescatalog.texnet.beg.utexas.edu ). How distant can these effects reach? Can the problem be controlled with restricting injection under a prescribed pressure? What geologic zones are more susceptible?
Biography
Dr. John Griffin joined the petroleum industry in 1979 after a year as a geologist in the coal fields of northern Alabama. He began with Amoco Production then a company man with Chevron working offshore LA, south & west Texas, and the North Sea. He worked for Baker Hughes, Turbo-Chem and numerous completion fluid companies serving offshore Louisiana. He has been a professor at UL-Lafayette, New Mexico Tech, LSU, and Nicholls State; the latter since 2003. He has taught industry courses for SPE (Pittsburg, Long Beach) & PDVSA (Maturin, Ciudad Ojeda, Venezuela). Since 2011 he has been an expert witness on numerous oilfield incidents in litigation. He speaks Spanish at intermediate level and has enjoyed travel to Cuba (3x), Peru (2x), Honduras, & Guatemala. He and his wife Airstream out west and golfs occasionally. He pulls for the Red Sox, whoever Derrick Henry is playing for, and the Celtics. His geology BS is from Emory, MS from Alabama, and PhD from LSU. He’s authored numerous technical papers.