A new initiative designed to revolutionize seismic monitoring and forecasting using real time, advanced machine learning (ML) technologies is coming to the West Texas/New Mexico area.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) awarded $1.8 million in funding to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The TCF is administrated by the DOE Office of Technology Commercialization, and the project is funded by the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management.
The project, "Advancing Real-Time Forecasts of Induced Seismicity with Machine Learning-Based Event Detection and Location," is expected to deliver innovative solutions for managing induced seismicity. These advancements will support critical industries, including carbon storage, oil and gas production and geothermal energy.
Partners include Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Instrumental Software Technologies, Inc. (ISTI), the Livermore Lab Foundation and several local community colleges, including Southeast New Mexico College, Midland College and Odessa College in Texas.
The project is also known as RECONNECT, or the Real-time inducEd seismiCity fOrecasts learNiNg sEismic CaTalogs.
"Our goal is to identify and enhance operational safety, and bolster public confidence in energy technologies," said Kayla Kroll, a LLNL seismologist and the project's principal investigator. "It's imperative to understand how seismic activity is detected, classified and forecasted to help ensure operators can proactively manage risks.
"Workforce development in the energy sector also is critical. Our community college partners already play a key role in connecting students with future career opportunities and inspiring the next generation of STEM leaders. We're delighted to have them as collaborators on this project," Kroll said.
The colleges will host a series of Energy Workforce events featuring hands-on workshops and expert panels designed to inform the community on emerging energy industries and career opportunities. Paid summer internship opportunities for college students at LLNL also will be available via the Lab's philanthropic partner, the Livermore Lab Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supporting LLNL's fundamental science and research initiatives.
The community college outreach is designed to kick off in fall 2025. Faculty leads include Joshua Hardt of Odessa College and Richard Wiedenmann of Southeast New Mexico College.
"This partnership with LLNL will equip the West Texas community with essential tools and data, enhancing our engagement with seismic science and safety," said Hardt. "I'm excited to see how this heightened awareness will spark public discourse about our local earth science."
Wiedenmann said, "This project is important to the community in educating the public about our frequent earthquakes. This also will benefit our college's students in science, engineering, workforce development and other programs."
The DOE TCF aims to support the commercialization of DOE national lab, plant and site technologies and to build out the national lab commercialization ecosystem.
At LLNL, technology transfer through public-private partnerships like this one, as well as TCF grant proposals, are facilitated by the Lab's Innovation and Partnerships Office (IPO). IPO supports U.S. economic competitiveness and national security through licensing partnerships leveraging LLNL intellectual property.
The RECONNECT initiative addresses subsurface energy industries, which have a growing need for advanced seismic monitoring and forecasting systems capable of efficiently identifying and mitigating potential induced seismicity.
Traditional seismic processing techniques often struggle in noisy industrial environments, leading to delays and inaccuracies in event detection. To overcome these limitations, LLNL and its partners are developing a real-time ML pipeline which will integrate seamlessly with the DOE's Operational Forecasting of Induced Seismicity (ORION) toolkit.
Pre-operational hazard estimates also will be addressed through the development of high-precision historic seismic event catalogs. These catalogs will provide valuable insights into local and regional seismic activity, enabling operators to better understand and mitigate potential risks before operations begin.
The ML-based tools being developed through this initiative will provide operators with cost-effective, advanced monitoring and forecasting capabilities offered by ISTI. These solutions are designed to improve performance in seismic event detection, ensuring that operators can rely on accurate and timely information to make critical decisions.
The RECONNECT initiative also has far-reaching implications and benefits for any industrial activity where fluids are injected or produced from the subsurface, Kroll said.
"This project is designed to help operators monitor with confidence. Operators across all sectors can benefit from improved seismic monitoring capabilities and forecasting, enabling proactive mitigation," she said.
