A new paper titled “Real-time well integrity monitoring in underground gas storage wells using distributed temperature and strain sensing: a field demonstration” has been published in Structural Health Monitoring. The paper is authored by Linqing Luo, Tianchen Xu, Jiannan Wang, Chien-Chih Wang, David Xu, Allan Lee, Christopher Barclay, Kenichi Soga, and Yuxin Wu.
The article presents the first successful field demonstration of a combined distributed temperature and strain sensing system installed directly on newly replaced tubing in a 5,400-ft-deep operational underground gas storage well. The system uses a single optical fiber to monitor both temperature and strain in real time, offering a cost-effective approach for long-term well integrity assessment.
The study investigates the relationship between strain and stress in the well tubing as a potential indicator for monitoring tubing integrity over its service life. The authors also evaluate the system’s ability to support both continuous monitoring and discrete comparison with historical records, which can help detect early signs of material fatigue, corrosion, deformation, or other integrity concerns.
This field demonstration highlights the scalability and practical value of distributed fiber-optic sensing for underground gas storage infrastructure. By enabling real-time monitoring of well operations and structural integrity, the work supports safer and more reliable management of subsurface energy storage systems.