MRI: Acquisition of a fiber optic distributed acoustic sensing instrument for hydrological and seismological research

由于流体压力、构造板块的运动以及月球和太阳的引力，地球不断变形。 这种变形或应变的浅显表达具有重要意义。 例如，在地下水的可持续性、碳氢化合物的提取和地热井的效率方面，必须考虑由于地下流体压力的变化而引起的地质材料的应变。 构造力引起可测量的应变，最终导致地震。 在建筑物和道路的设计中必须考虑地面变形。 月球和太阳的自然引力引起地球潮汐，对人类的直接影响很小，但可以用来表征地球材料的机械性能。 然而，测量地球变形的一个挑战是，虽然应变分布在很长的距离上，但典型的测量设备（如应变计）只能在很短的时间间隔内进行测量。 针对该项目，开发了一种传感系统，该系统可以在千米的距离上以亚米的间隔测量分布式应变。虽然该仪器已上市，但这一应用是全新的，将揭示以前在浅层地下未观察到的变形。它已被石油和安全行业迅速采用，但由于承包服务公司的高成本，在学术界基本上不为人知。 此次MRI收购旨在将这一下一代商业技术带入学术研究人员和学生手中，以便其可用于促进对自然和工程地球系统中地球运动的理解。 一个由加州州立大学长滩分校、加州理工学院和南加州大学组成的财团将共享这台仪器。 该联盟将由加州州立大学长滩领导，这是一所非博士授予和西班牙裔服务大学，约有一半的人口被认为是NSF代表性不足的少数民族（URM）的学生。 另外两个成员，加州理工学院和南加州大学是顶级博士授予机构。仪器和培训的共享将使URM学生接触到他们通常无法接触到的研究文化和经验。 为期两天的DAS培训研讨会将为联盟以外的研究人员和学生提供学习DAS技术的机会。 MRI计划将为URM学生提供机会，成为该国首批拥有DAS成像实践经验的学生之一。这一光纤分布式声学传感（DAS）的主要研究仪器（MRI）收购将支持与构造和水力作用力相关的地面运动测量。 DAS是一种用于测量地球环境中应变和振动的变革性技术。 使用激光干涉测量法，沿光纤电缆的整个长度沿着询问动态应变。 DAS通常具有沿着长度可以是数十公里的光纤电缆每沿着25 cm 1 kHz的采样分辨率。 该技术允许测量地震运动沿着通信网络和深钻孔，通常沿着已经存在的光纤电缆。 该系统测量光纤电缆上的应变，该光纤电缆可以安装在深井或浅沟中。 可以检测到每米小于1纳米（十亿分之一米）的应变。 其背后的技术被称为分布式声学传感（DAS），是为了测量响应声波或地震波的振动而开发的。 这里的进步是，应变是在接近一天的时间内测量的，而振动通常是在不到一秒的时间内测量的。 研究的一个特别重点是将频率分辨率扩展到微赫兹范围，在那里可以观察到潮汐力和超低频地面运动。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The earth deforms constantly in response to fluid pressure, the movement of tectonic plates, and the gravitational pull of the moon and sun. The shallow expression of this deformation, or strain, has important implications. For example, strain in geologic material due to changes in subsurface fluid pressure must be considered in the sustainability of groundwater, the extraction of hydrocarbons, and the efficiency of geothermal well fields. Tectonic forces cause measurable strain that ultimately result in earthquakes. Ground deformation must be considered in the design of buildings and roads. The natural pull of the moon and sun cause earth tides which have little direct effect on humans, but can be used to characterize the mechanical properties of earth materials. A challenge in measuring earth deformation, however, is that while strain is distributed over large distances, typical measurement devices such as strain meters measure only over short intervals. For this project, a sensing system is developed that can measure distributed strain at sub-meter intervals over the distance of kilometers. Although the instrument is available commercially, this application is entirely new and will reveal deformation not previously observed in the shallow subsurface. It has been adopted rapidly by the petroleum and security industries but is largely unknown in academia due to the high cost of contracting service companies. This MRI acquisition is intended to bring this next-generation commercial technology into the hands of academic researchers and students so it can be used to advance the understanding of earth movements in both natural and engineered earth systems. A consortium of California State University Long Beach, California Institute of Technology, and University of Southern California will share the instrument. This consortium will be led by a California State University Long Beach, which is a non-PhD granting and Hispanic Serving university with about half the population considered NSF Underrepresented minority (URM) students. The other two members, California Institute of Technology and University of Southern California are top PhD-granting institutions. Sharing of the instrument and training will expose URM students to research cultures and experiences to which they would not normally have access. A two-day DAS-training workshop will provide researchers and students outside of the consortium and opportunity to learn about DAS technology. The MRI program will provide URM students the opportunity to be among the first students in the country to have hands-on experience with DAS imaging.This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) acquisition of a Fiber Optic Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) will support measurement of ground motion related to tectonic and hydraulic forcing. DAS is a transformative technology for measuring strain and vibration in Earth environments. Using laser interferometry, dynamic strain is interrogated along the entire length of a fiber optic cable. DAS typically has sampling resolution of 1 kHz every 25 cm along a fiber optic cable that can be tens of kilometers in length. This technology allows the measurement of seismic movements along communication networks and in deep boreholes, often along fiber-optic cable that is already present. The system measures strain on a fiber-optic cable that can be installed, for instance, in deep boreholes or in shallow trenches. Strains of less than 1 nanometer (one billionth of a meter) per meter can be detected. The technology behind it is called distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) and was developed for measuring vibration in response to sound or seismic waves. The advancement here is that strain is measured over periods approaching a day, while vibrations are usually measured at periods of less than a second. A particular focus of research will be extension of frequency resolution into the microHertz range, where tidal forcing and ultra-low-frequency ground motions can be observed.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.