In-situ strain data from the Groningen gas field published

Good news! 

Distributed Strain Sensing (DSS) data from the Groningen gas field are now published at Yoda data services. On request from the Dutch research community DeepNL, EPOS-NL approached the Groningen field operator (NAM) to publish these data. These are unique data, describing compaction of the reservoir system during production of the seismogenic Groningen gas field. 

The Groningen gas field is the largest gas field in Europe. Gas production in this field has led to seismicity and surface subsidence, both believed to be caused by compaction of the underlying reservoir sandstone. In 2015, the field operator (Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij – NAM) installed a fibre-optic cable in the Zeerijp-3a well, at a true vertical depth of about 2900 to 3200 m, i.e. in and around the gas reservoir. The Zeerijp-3a well is situated in the center of the field, where seismicity (<3.4 M) and subsidence (34 cm) are both greatest. This cable allows real-time, continuous, in-situ monitoring of compaction of the reservoir and over and underlying formations, through the Distributed Strain Sensing (DSS) technique. DSS data (strain-time-depth) obtained from October 2015 to August 2019 are provided by NAM, open access. The data were processed by NAM, as detailed in the reports accompanying the data. The data presented in this data publication were used and analyzed in the research report: “Analysis of and learnings from the first four years of in-situ strain data in Zeerijp-3A” which is provided along with this data publication and is individually, openly accessible at: NAM research reports.

Groningen gas field in the NE Netherlands, and location of the Zeerijp 3a (ZRP-3a) well. After Pijnenburg, et al., 2019, Inelastic deformation of the Slochteren sandstone: Stress‐strain relations and implications for induced seismicity in the Groningen gas field.

Thanks for attending the first EPOS-NL annual meeting

On 16 September 2021, the first EPOS-NL annual meeting was held. With the theme “EPOS-NL: what’s in it for you?”, this day focused on the services EPOS-NL provides for research, notably:

  • Free-of-charge access to Dutch research facilities
  • Central data access

We look back on an inspiring day. We thank the lab representatives and EPOS-NL partners who presented at this meeting, Helen Glaves for giving an inspiring keynote talk on “Open science, why does it matter?” and well over 100 participants who joined the meeting.

Did you miss (part of) the meeting, or would you like to review some of the presentations you’ve seen? Many of the presentations given can be accessed here.

EPOS-NL on Youtube

Recently, NWO developed a series of clips of currently operating, national programs within the roadmap for large-scale infrastructure programs, including EPOS-NL. Watch them now on Youtube

The NWO national roadmap for large-scale research infrastructure aims to strengthen the scientific position of the Netherlands by encouraging the development and construction of large-scale research facilities.