Software design and preliminary ground testing for a new airborne magnetic tensor gradiometer

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Balch Exploration Consulting Inc. (BECI) is developing the world's first airborne magnetic tensor gradiometer for commercial surveying for natural resources exploration. This instrument, which will be suspended beneath a helicopter, includes 4 magnetometers which record 12 different components of the earth's magnetic field. These data will be processed to reveal subtle geological features and to pinpoint the location of targets of economic interest such as ore bodies. The magnetometers are currently being integrated into the airframe. When integration is completed, early in 2016, BECI is planning ground tests during which the magnetic tensor gradiometer will be towed behind a tractor. The objectives of the proposed project is to develop software tools to balance the data acquired by the different magnetometers and to correct the data for changes in attitude, inaccuracies in positioning, and other sources of noise. First, synthetic data will be considered which will inform the design of the ground tests. Later, the software tools will be used to process and analyze the field data. The outcome of the project will be a better understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the future instrument. These results will have a direct impact on the ongoing hardware design. BECI's magnetic tensor gradiometer has the potential to deliver aeromagnetic data of unprecedented resolution and information richness. The project contributes to maintaining Canada's leadership in the design and manufacturing of geophysical instruments and in airborne geophysical survey services.