This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to develop a prototype of a frequency domain spectral induced polarization (SIP) borehole tool that could be used to collect data in boreholes over a wide frequency range with high accuracy/resolution. The SIP technique is an emerging geophysical technology that offers unique information on the physical, chemical and biogeochemical characteristics of porous media not provided by existing geophysical logging tools. The need for such a tool is well recognized, especially in the oil, mining and environmental industries, but technical constraints and economical limitations have previously prevented the technology from being commercialized. The company will design and test a borehole SIP tool to overcome the perceived technical problems. Recent advances in instrumentation, including size and power requirements of the needed electronics, now allow for the construction of such a tool that can offer the required capabilities at an affordable cost. This will be demonstrated by determining the performance of the prototype tool in a laboratory setting by making measurements on materials with known SIP characteristics and by comparisons with bench-top SIP instruments. The tool will also be tested in an experimental tank designed to simulate a borehole as per the perceived field deployment.
The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be the availability of new and more precise information on the variation of the physical, chemical and biogeochemical properties of the subsurface to be obtained from logging measurements in a borehole. This project is a response to a recognized need in the exploration, water resources and environmental industries for improved resolution of variations in the physicochemical properties of the earth relative to that extractable from existing borehole logging tools. The applications of this innovative tool will include the characterization of new information parameters and the detection and monitoring of geochemical and biogeochemical processes only characterized until now in laboratory settings. The company, a qualifying small business, will broaden their customer base, and both faculty and students at the partner academic institution will be able to utilize the tool to enhance their capabilities for environmental research. This new collaboration between a state university and a local small business will strengthen efforts to promote collaborations between industry and academia.
The Spectral Induced Polarization (SIP) technique is a geophysical technology widely used in mineral exploration and more recently for environmental applications. SIP is sensitive to both bulk and interfacial properties of the subsurface, allowing for the acquisition of unique information on the physical, chemical and biogeochemical properties of the subsurface. Currently only surface SIP instruments exist. Since boreholes are the primary means of accessing the Earth’s deeper subsurface environment for scientific and commercial investigation, the need for a SIP based borehole tool is apparent. Although this need is well recognized in the oil, mining and environmental industries, a borehole SIP tool has never been commercially available due to technical constraints along with the complexity and costs associated with the development and commercialization of such a tool. The main premise of this Phase I/IB SBIR project was to demonstrate that recent advances in instrumentation, including the size and power requirements of the needed electronics, now allow for the construction of a commercially viable borehole SIP instrument at an affordable cost. During the project, Ontash & Ermac, Inc. in collaboration with Rutgers-Newark developed technology that would allow for SIP measurements to be made in boreholes and constructed a proof of concept, laboratory quality, prototype of a SIP borehole tool that can be used to collect data in boreholes. The performance of the prototype tool was extensively investigated in laboratory settings using electronic circuits, laboratory test columns and a physically simulated borehole environment. The results of the investigation support the conclusion that the development of a commercially viable and affordable borehole tool for measuring the SIP properties of earth materials is now feasible. The project resulted in a solid foundation for the development of the commercial version of an SIP borehole tool that can be used for exploration, environmental, and research applications. The construction of a commercial borehole SIP instrument is planned for Phase II of the project. This project has taken the first step towards the development of a commercial borehole SIP tool. The future development of a commercial borehole SIP tool presents unique opportunities to acquire new information on earth properties and system processes from measurements made in boreholes that will advance scientific understanding and aid in commercial applications in resource evaluation and exploration, and environmental characterization and monitoring. The existence of such a tool would substantially enhance the instrumentation inventory of major earth science research laboratories and allow SIP technology to transfer from laboratory settings to borehole environments, such that it would be adopted by the oil exploration, mineral exploration and environmental characterization industries. The commercial SIP borehole tool has the potential to significantly enhance the information that can be obtained from borehole geophysical logging (well logging) measurements by well logging service providers that support resource exploration and environmental characterization. SIP measurements are also of interest in the civil and environmental engineering disciplines, e.g. for the evaluation of infrastructure, where measurements made in access boreholes are often used to interrogate the physical and chemical properties of infrastructure. The unique sensitivity of SIP measurements to physical, geochemical and biogeochemical processes occurring in soils and rocks positions this technology for improved environmental characterization and monitoring. SIP measurements have already been demonstrated to be sensitive to the evolution of biodegradation end products during the remediation of heavy metal contamination. Geophysical techniques are increasingly being used to provide solutions for long term monitoring of environmental systems in a minimally invasive manner. The development of a commercial borehole tool for SIP measurements would enhance such monitoring capabilities and contribute to efforts that support long term environmental stewardship. This Phase I SBIR project also enhanced the capabilities of the Near Surface Geophysics laboratory in the Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences at Rutgers-Newark and the engineering laboratory at Ontash & Ermac, Inc. The university researchers benefited from interactions with Ontash & Ermac personnel as they improved their understanding of technical capabilities and limitations of the existing SIP instrumentation that they routinely use in other research. The basic infrastructure of both the Near Surface Geophysics laboratory at Rutgers-Newark and the engineering laboratory at Ontash & Ermac was improved as a result of the construction of the prototype SIP instrumentation and test environment. The prototype instrumentation is available for additional research at Rutgers-Newark. The project provided numerous opportunities for the participation of three undergraduate students at Rutgers-Newark, including underrepresented groups (one African American and one woman) in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) research. Undergraduate research assistantships were provided to all students. These students gained new skills in geophysics, geochemistry and scientific data analysis. These undergraduates also had an opportunity to engage with industry through their interactions with project personnel from Ontash & Ermac, Inc. throughout the project.
