Open AccessSurface and borehole electromagnetic imaging of conducting contaminant plumes. 1998 annual progress report
Author(s) -
James G. Berryman
Publication year - 1998
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/13559
Subject(s) - borehole , electromagnetic induction , inversion (geology) , electrical resistivity and conductivity , geology , magnetic field , electromagnetic field , field (mathematics) , geophysics , acoustics , remote sensing , physics , electrical engineering , engineering , seismology , geotechnical engineering , mathematics , tectonics , quantum mechanics , pure mathematics , electromagnetic coil
'Electromagnetic induction tomography is a promising new tool for imaging electrical conductivity variations in the earth. The source field is a magnetic field generated by currents in wire coils. This source field is normally produced in one borehole, while the received signals are the measured small changes in magnetic field in another, distant borehole; however, the method may also be used successfully in combination with surface sources and receivers. The goal of this procedure is to image electrical conductivity variations in the earth, much as x-ray tomography is used to image density variations through cross-sections of the body. Although field techniques have been developed and applied to collection of such EM data, the algorithms for inverting the magnetic data to produce the desired images of electrical conductivity have not kept pace. The current state of the art in electromagnetic data inversion is based on the Born/Rytov approximation (requiring a low contrast assumption), or extensions. However, it is known that conductivity variations in fact range over several orders of magnitude and therefore require nonlinear analysis. The goal of this project is therefore to join theory and experiment to produce enhanced images of electrically conducting fluids underground, allowing better localization of contaminants and improved planning strategies for the subsequent remediation efforts.