Hunter, a provider of global satellite solutions, and Nanometrics, a manufacturer of seismology systems and instrumentation, are set to work together to develop an induced seismic and microseismic monitoring application via satellite, which will be useful for hydraulic fracturing (fracking) employed on oil and gas sites.
The Nanometrics LIBRA very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system will deploy the application for monitoring oil and gas drilling sites in real-time to determine if fracking is triggering or inducing seismicity, either on the drill site or within the region.
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The LIBRA system is used by exploration geophysicists and seismologists for finding out strategic, real-time information about their operations.
The LIBRA VSAT system was initially developed by Nanometrics for ultra-low power usage, a critical factor when installing systems far from any electrical grid.
Globally, the LIBRA technology was used at hundreds of remote locations, which helped provide real-time monitoring of volcanoes, earthquake zones and fault lines, including diverse locations, such as volcanoes in Peru and Cyprus and geological fault lines stretching from Trinidad to Ghana.
Nanometrics global operations CEO Neil Spriggs said: "Oil and gas companies are now proactively establishing monitoring sites surrounding their wells, and we are partnering with the scientific community to delve deeper into the science of microseismicity.
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By GlobalData"Ultimately, we believe that many more of these firms will choose to closely monitor their operations using the real-time data that we provide, which enables them to stop operations if induced events approach the threshold of felt earthquakes.
"It is critical for the scientific community to learn about the effects of hydraulic fracturing and obtain factual data instead of anecdotes and conjecture on whether fracking does indeed cause meaningful effects to the surrounding area.
"Obtaining this information is a significant benefit, not just for local populations, but also for oil and gas companies, who will use this information to improve their technologies and procedures."
Hunter president Brent Perrott said: "These networks enable real-time scientific monitoring, which is improving industry standards and translating into a safer industry."
