PITOP (IT1.5)

The OGS geophysical-drilling testing site (PITOP) was set up with the purpose of providing a framework facility for studying and testing geophysical methods, technologies and borehole/surface tools in realistic conditions (Fig. 1).

Located in the foothills of Eastern Alps, 110 km NW from OGS headquarters in Trieste, this facility mainly consists of a scaled-down version of a drilling yard in which four wells were drilled in Quaternary alluvial sediments lying on Miocene conglomerates.

The inter-well distances are 40-50 m. All the wells, of variable depths (300, 385, 420 and 150 m) and dimensions (6”, 12”, 8”1/2 and 5” diameters), with cased and open-hole depth sections, are fully accessible.

Two of the wells are instrumented by permanent sensors (3-C geophones and DAS fibre optic sensors) cemented outside the casing. Two of the existing wells are potentially available for further drilling phases, and all wells are available for downhole instrumentation testing.

The site is geophysically and geologically characterized by master logs, well logs, vertical seismic profiles, crosswell and surface seismic data.

Permanent Laboratories equipped with instrumentation for data recording, in-field quality control (QC), real-time signal processing and conditioning, including remote satellite data transmission and acquisition control, are available at the well site.

Auxiliary seismic sources and sensors (including permanent ground force sensors at shallow depth) are available both on the surface and downhole. The test site is also instrumented with permanent downhole (150 m well) and surface seismometers for natural seismicity monitoring.

Geophysical and technical support for project preparation, planning and execution. Support for in-field quality control (QC) and subsequent data analysis and processing.

The site has the unique characteristic to be drillable, to realize tests useful to improve monitoring well technologies, and usable at the same time for geophysical and instrumental monitoring, also with easy access to the surrounding area.

OGS currently uses this borehole facility for special testing of instrumentation and methodologies. The OGS experience includes field tests for calibration of fibre optic sensors usable for monitoring of CO₂ plume migration.

OGS has used and can potentially uses this test site in cooperation with research institutes and/or industry in the framework of specific projects.

Borehole and recording instrumentation used for the purposes of the ENOS (Onshore CCS in Europe) and Geothermal acquisition projects were preliminarily tested at PITOP site.