Real-Time Electromagnetic Methods to Monitor Plugged-and-Abandoned Wells

Long-term monitoring of plugged-and-abandoned wells is essential to prevent leaks and costly remediation, especially under the rising environmental and regulatory pressure. There is a growing need for scalable, non-invasive, real-time monitoring solutions. AEC's recent progress combining surface-deployed controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) surveys with electrically active cement additives enables detection of fluid migration in engineered defective wells—marking a major step forward in well integrity monitoring at TRL 6. Applications are in carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) as well as P&A wells. CCS market in particular is attractive with a projected rapid growth rate (20% or more).

Some key benefits include:

• Risk Reduction: Enables early detection of leakage, reducing liability and environmental impact.
• Operational Efficiency: Surface-deployed CSEM surveys reduce the need for invasive inspection methods.