Portable Electromagnetic Induction Sensor with Integrated Positioning

The objective of this work is to design and fabricate a novel time-domain bistatic EMI sensor that allows for the physical decoupling of the transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) coil(s). This bistatic, physically decoupled, portable EMI instrument with precise positioning would be a valuable research instrument for several reasons. First, there is a pressing need for portable EMI instruments deployable in adverse conditions where cart mounted systems cannot function. Furthermore, a bistatic EMI instrument also delivers critical flexibility in operation and high fidelity data by allowing users to acquire sufficiently detailed data in one pass to satisfy inversion/discrimination routines (see Sec. 3.5). Necessary in achieving this data quality is research into a more precise scheme for positioning the receiver assembly. We will to combine systematic modeling of the instrument geometry, flexible operation design, and highly precise positioning into a single, portable EMI instrument.