SBIR Phase II: Development of an Affordable and Versatile Spectral Induced Polarization (SIP) Borehole Tool

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)二期项目将开发一种商业上可行且负担得起的频域频谱激发极化(SIP)钻孔测井仪，该仪器可以在宽频率范围内以高精度/分辨率采集充满流体的钻孔中的数据。该技术是一种地球物理技术，可提供现有地球物理测井仪器所不能提供的有关地球材料的物理、化学和生物地球化学特征的独特信息。现在有机会将该工具推向石油、采矿和环境行业，因为以前阻碍该技术商业化的技术限制和经济限制现在可以克服。主要的研究目标是：[1]开发高性能的模拟和数字信号处理硬件、软件、信号处理算法、驱动、传感和聚焦电极；[2)设计一个防水外壳，并将这些部件集成到可在钻孔中部署的探头中；[3)在实验室模拟和代表各种地质条件的野外现场的钻孔中测试仪器的性能。预期的技术成果包括通过数值和物理模型对仪器精度和空间分辨率进行详尽的评估，以及对探测仪在各种环境和配置下的行为进行评估。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力在于参与资源勘探(石油、矿物和水)和环境评估的私营行业、政府机构和学术界。在井下部署一台地面物理、化学和生物地球化学仪器，将使人们能够从测井测量中获得有关地球物理、化学和生物地球化学性质变化的新信息。通过该仪器获取的关于地球性质变化的丰富信息，将增进对水文地质学、环境、石油、天然气和矿产勘探、二氧化碳封存和岩土工程领域的科学了解。潜在的社会影响涉及技术对以下方面的贡献：[1]改进资源(石油、矿物和水)的定位和特征；[2)以微创的方式加强对环境系统的长期监测，促进长期环境管理状态；[3)改进土木工程学科要求的地球构造的特征。这一工具的提供将对环境特征和补救部门以及石油、矿物和水勘探部门产生直接和长期的商业影响。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will develop a commercially viable and affordable frequency domain spectral induced polarization (SIP) borehole logging instrument that collects data in fluid-filled boreholes over a wide frequency range with high accuracy/resolution. The SIP technique is a geophysical technology that offers unique information on the physical, chemical and biogeochemical characteristics of Earth materials not provided by existing geophysical logging tools. The opportunity exists to market the tool to the oil, mining and environmental industries, as technical constraints and economical limitations that previously prevented the technology from being commercialized can now be overcome. The primary research objectives are: [1] develop high-performance analog and digital signal processing hardware, software, signal processing algorithms, drive, sense and focusing electrodes; [2] engineer a watertight enclosure and integrate the components into a sonde deployable in a borehole; [3] test instrument performance in laboratory simulations and boreholes at field sites that represent a range of geological conditions. Anticipated technical results include exhaustive evaluation of instrumentation accuracy and spatial resolution by means of numerical and physical modeling and assessment of the behavior of the sonde under a variety of environments and configurations.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project lies with private industries, government agencies and academia involved in resource exploration (petroleum, mineral and water) and environmental assessment. Borehole deployment of an SIP instrument will permit new information on the variation in the physical, chemical and biogeochemical properties of the Earth to be obtained from logging measurements. Enhanced scientific understanding in hydrogeology, environmental, oil, gas and mineral exploration, carbon dioxide sequestration and geotechnical fields will result from the rich information on variations in Earth properties retrieved with the instrument. Potential societal impacts relate to the contribution of the technology to: [1] improved resource (petroleum, mineral and water) location and characterization; [2] enhanced long term monitoring of environmental systems in a minimally invasive manner, advancing the state of long term environmental stewardship; [3] improved characterization of Earth formations required by civil engineering disciplines. The availability of this instrument will have immediate and long-lasting commercial impacts in the environmental characterization and remediation sector, as well as in the petroleum, mineral and water exploration sector.