Nanometrics, Hunter to Deliver Real-Time Fracking Drill Site Monitoring

A hydraulic fracturing drill site in the Greater Sierra oil field in British Columbia. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

[Via Satellite 05-01-2014] Hunter Communications has partnered with Nanometrics to design an induced seismic and microseismic monitoring application via satellite for the hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) sector. The application, deployed by Nanometric’s Libra Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) system, will be used to determine whether fracking drilling can trigger or cause seismicity, both at the drill site and the surrounding region.

Nanometrics developed the VSAT system for ultra-low power usage, and it has been deployed at remote sites such as volcanoes in Peru and Cyprus, as well as geological fault lines between Trinidad and Ghana. The data is collected by seismometers and then transmitted through the Libra network, delivering the information in real-time to universities, governmental organizations and others. The system is currently being deployed at a number of well sites in Northeastern British Columbia, and Nanometrics and Hunter plan to provide scientists with real-time information collected from these wells.

“It is crucial for the scientific community to learn about the effects of hydraulic fracturing and obtain factual data,” said Neil Spriggs, CEO of global operations for Nanometrics. “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.”