Satellite InSAR Data: Towards an Effective Integration with Conventional Data

Surface deformation monitoring can provide valuable information in assessing the environmental impact of fluid injection and/or extraction activities, evaluating volume/pressure changes in a reservoir, as well as estimating other geophysical parameters. InSAR technologies, providing high-quality, remotely acquired data about surface deformation affecting large areas, are relatively low in cost and their information adds significant value, if properly interpreted and integrated with more conventional data. Since 2001 ENI has financed projects based on InSAR data, first for environmental assessment and then for reservoir monitoring. Enviromental monitoring with SqueeSAR over large areas is now routinely performed by ENI and these data are integrated with more conventional monitoring data in order to improve deformation extension and evolution information. In parallel, Stogit has used these techniques for the standard monitoring of underground natural gas storage fileds. Long-time records of injected/extracted gas volumes, together with the multi-year displacement data set provided by SqueeSAR analyses, have allow the calibration of fluid-dynamic and geo-mechanical models, that can be used to investigate the effects of increased working gas volumes, especially in overpressure conditions. The experience summarised in this paper can provide a useful contribution for petroleum engineers and the oil&gas community in general.