SBIR Phase I: Heap leaching and slope saturation monitoring with muon detectors

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段（SBIR）项目的重点是开发一种广泛的技术，用于先进的地球物理密度测量和基于自然发生的宇宙射线的被动探测的流体前沿监测。该技术的主要应用领域是采矿业，预计该技术将能够显著提高铜和其他金属的回收效率（高达10%）。这些效率可能导致仅在美国每年就有近10亿美元的商业价值。该技术还可以应用于监测大坝和堤坝的稳定性，这是一个广泛认可的持续关注，在那里它可以提供显着的安全和环境效益。该项目的智力价值是开发现场可用的仪器，特别是创新的适合-宇宙射线探测器的专用网络，可以轻松扩展和重新配置，以覆盖大型或小型的调查区域，并具有可定制的空间分辨率以最小的代价。该项目还将在可行性研究中展示原始数据反演方法和这些方法的功能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I (SBIR) project focuses on the development of a broad-scope technology for advanced geophysical density measurements and the monitoring of fluid fronts based on the passive detection of naturally occurring cosmic rays. The primary application area is in the mining sector where the technology is expected to be able to drive significant efficiency improvements (up to 10%) in the recovery of copper and other metals. These efficiencies could potentially result in a commercial value of close to $1 billion per year in the United States alone. The technology can also be applied to monitoring the stability of dams and levees, a widely recognized ongoing concern, where it can provide significant safety and environmental benefits.The intellectual merit of this project is the development of field-ready instrumentation, and in particular an innovative fit-for-purpose network of cosmic ray detectors that can be easily scaled and reconfigured to cover large or small investigation areas with a customizable spatial resolution at a minimal cost. This project will also demonstrate original data inversion methodologies and function of such methods in the feasibility study.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.