Quantum for Energy and Utilities 2026

CASE STUDY 3 Quantum sensing Mapping subsurface structures and tracking mass changes in reservoirs/storage sites using quantum gravimeters Tracking subsurface mass movement is central to underground mapping and to time-lapse monitoring of reservoirs and storage sites, because gravity responds directly to changes in mass distribution, for example when fluids migrate through rock or when storage inventories change. The practical barrier has traditionally been instrumentation: field gravimetry is often expensive, difficult to deploy at scale, and prone to drift and operational constraints that make long-duration monitoring and repeatable surveys challenging.To make gravity-based monitoring more operational, Exail commercialized the absolute quantum gravimeter (AQG), a cold-atom interferometry instrument designed to deliver continuous absolute gravity measurements over long periods while remaining transportable for survey and time-lapse use. Exail positions AQG explicitly for applications including reservoir monitoring and subsurface imaging, emphasizing stability, repeatability and multi-year continuous acquisition as differentiators versus conventional approaches. Key reported benefits included drift-free absolute gravity measurements suitable for long-duration monitoring and repeatable time-lapse surveys, an architecture for scaling- up from single-station sensing to gravity imaging using an anchored sensor array, and clear evidence of increasing operational maturity.7 14 Quantum for Energy and Utilities: Key Opportunities for Energy Transition