Our Story
The key milestones of our 25-year company history.
From Research to Application - The Early Years
After extensive research work, including at the Continental Deep Drilling Project KTB (Germany) , the HDR Project Hijiori (Japan) and the European HDR Research Project Soultz-sous-Forets (France), geophysicist Ralph Weidler founded Q-con GmbH in 2001 - with the goal of bringing the acquired research results into commercial application.
The initial focus was on reservoir engineering, particularly on novel stimulation methods for developing naturally fractured hard rock formations, as encountered in HDR/EGS projects and in some hydrocarbon reservoirs. It quickly became evident that seismic monitoring for visualizing and analyzing the fracture processes would play a central role in enabling controlled stimulation operations. During this early phase, Q-con was able to bring on board the seismologist Dr. Stefan Baisch. From then on he led the development of this field.
The Breakthrough
As early as the following year, a historic breakthrough was achieved when the company's proprietary algorithms for real-time seismic monitoring were successfully deployed at the geothermal project in Bad Urach (Germany): for the first time, reliable real-time information on induced seismicity could be obtained during a hydraulic stimulation, allowing the operation to be precisely controlled and monitored.
This success attracted worldwide attention in the industry. In the years that followed, Q-con received numerous international contracts for the planning and monitoring of hydraulic stimulation operations, including for the Australian EGS project of Geodynamics Ltd. and for a tight-gas field of Santos Ltd. These operations were the largest stimulation campaigns conducted on the Australian continent to date.
The Paradigm Shift
At that time, inducing shear fractures by injecting pure water under high pressure was considered the most promising method for developing deep geothermal resources. By widening existing fractures, hot thermal water could be mobilized and subsequently produced. The seismic events generated in the process – well below the threshold of perception – were intentional and served as an indicator of the progress of the stimulation.
However, the situation changed abruptly with the occurrence of damage-relevant tremors at the geothermal projects in Basel and Landau. The future of geothermal energy, particularly of EGS technology, seemed to be in jeopardy overnight. Since then, induced seismicity has been the most vulnerable point of attack for deep geothermal projects and represents a key challenge for many project developers when it comes to permitting and gaining public acceptance for their venture.
Q-con GmbH Today
While the core scientific questions addressed by Q-con have remained essentially unchanged for 25 years, the focus has shifted significantly over time. Today, avoiding perceptible seismicity, at least in populated areas, is considered the top priority for geothermal, oil, gas, and mining projects.
Against this background, Q-con has dedicated its seismological expertise for the past 15 years primarily to ensuring safe operations and preventing damage-relevant seismicity. Together with our clients, we have published our research findings in numerous international scientific journals. Furthermore, we have been involved in the development of national guidelines for managing the risks of induced seismicity in several countries.
Through our research and project activities, we have made significant progress in understanding induced seismicity and have been able to uncover the relationships between mining activities and the seismic response of the subsurface. We intend to continue making substantial contributions to the effective and safe utilization of deep geothermal energy. In light of these developments, we do not rule out the possibility that EGS technology, with new knowledge and modern technology, could experience a renaissance, and that the immense and sustainable potential of this resource could one day be harnessed for our benefit.
