Vector magnetometry localization of subsurface liquids

• US 10,345,395 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2016
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Sinton, Steven W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Curran, Gregory H
• Application Number:
  US15/376,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20180164464A1
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/032 using magneto-optic devices, e.g. Faraday or Cotton-Mouton effect

Abstract

Systems and methods for locating a subsurface liquid can include an excitation coil configured to induce a magnetic resonance in a subsurface liquid, an array of magnetometers associated with the excitation coil configured to detect a magnetic vector of the magnetic resonance excited subsurface liquid, and a controller in communication with the array of magnetometers and configured to locate the subsurface liquid based on magnetic signals output from the array of magnetometers.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a substructure;

a proton spin resonance excitation coil mounted to the substructure and configured to induce a magnetic resonance in a subsurface liquid;

an array of DNV magnetometers mounted to the substructure and configured to detect a magnetic vector of the magnetic resonance excited subsurface liquid; and

a controller in communication with the array of magnetometers and configured to;

record an oscillatory proton (¹H) magnetic resonance (MR) Larmor precession in Earth'"'"'s field by the array of magnetometers, and

locate the subsurface liquid based on magnetic signals output from the array of magnetometers.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to deactivate the array of DNV magnetometers during adiabatic passage preparation of a magnetic resonance signal of the proton spin resonance excitation coil.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein deactivating the array of magnetometers comprises deactivating an optical excitation source.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein deactivating the array of magnetometers comprises deactivating a RF excitation source.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein deactivating the array of magnetometers comprises deactivating an optical excitation source and a RF excitation source.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to filter a local Earth field from a magnetic signal detected by the array of magnetometers.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the filtering comprises periodic filtering (“

AC”

) pulse sequence operation of the array of DNV magnetometers.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the filtering comprises reversal of ¹H magnetization in alternating signal co-additions.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein locating the subsurface liquid includes the controller generating a numerical location of the subsurface liquid.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein locating the subsurface liquid includes the controller generating a two-dimensional reconstruction of the subsurface liquid.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein locating the subsurface liquid includes the controller generating a three-dimensional reconstruction of the subsurface liquid.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the subsurface liquid is oil.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the subsurface liquid is water.

14. A system for locating a subsurface liquid, the system comprising:

an excitation coil configured to induce a magnetic resonance in a subsurface liquid;

an array of magnetometers associated with the excitation coil, the array of magnetometers configured to detect a magnetic vector of the magnetic resonance excited subsurface liquid; and

a controller in communication with the array of magnetometers and configured to locate the subsurface liquid based on magnetic signals output from the array of magnetometers.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the array of magnetometers is an array of DNV magnetometers.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the array of magnetometers is an array of SQUIDs.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the excitation coil is a proton spin resonance excitation coil.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the excitation coil and the array of magnetometers are mounted to a substructure.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to deactivate the array of magnetometers during adiabatic passage preparation of a magnetic resonance signal of the excitation coil.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein deactivating the array of magnetometers comprises deactivating an optical excitation source.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein deactivating the array of magnetometers comprises deactivating a RF excitation source.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein deactivating the array of magnetometers comprises deactivating an optical excitation source and a RF excitation source.

23. The system of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to record an oscillatory proton (¹H) magnetic resonance (MR) Larmor precession in Earth'"'"'s field by the array of magnetometers.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the controller is configured to filter a local Earth field from a magnetic signal detected by the array of magnetometers.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the filtering comprises periodic filtering (“

AC”

) pulse sequence operation of the array of magnetometers.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the filtering comprises reversal of ¹H magnetization in alternating signal co-additions.

27. The system of claim 14, wherein locating the subsurface liquid includes the controller generating a numerical location of the subsurface liquid.

28. The system of claim 14, wherein locating the subsurface liquid includes the controller generating a two-dimensional reconstruction of the subsurface liquid.

29. The system of claim 14, wherein locating the subsurface liquid includes the controller generating a three-dimensional reconstruction of the subsurface liquid.

30. The system of claim 14, wherein the subsurface liquid is oil.

31. The system of claim 14, wherein the subsurface liquid is water.

32. A method for locating a subsurface liquid comprising:

activating a proton spin resonance excitation coil;

activating an array of magnetometers;

recording an oscillatory proton (¹H) magnetic resonance (MR) Larmor precession in Earth'"'"'s field by the array of magnetometers; and

generating a location of the subsurface liquid based on the recorded oscillatory proton (¹H) magnetic resonance (MR) Larmor precession.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the array of magnetometers is an array of DNV magnetometers.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the array of magnetometers is an array of SQUIDs.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein the proton spin resonance excitation coil and the array of magnetometers are mounted to a substructure.

36. The method of claim 32 further comprising deactivating the array of magnetometers during adiabatic passage preparation of a magnetic resonance signal of the proton spin resonance excitation coil.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein deactivating the array of magnetometers comprises deactivating an optical excitation source.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein deactivating the array of magnetometers comprises deactivating a RF excitation source.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein deactivating the array of magnetometers comprises deactivating an optical excitation source and a RF excitation source.

40. The method of claim 32 further comprising filtering a local Earth field from a magnetic signal detected by the array of magnetometers.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the filtering comprises periodic filtering (“

AC”

) pulse sequence operation of the array of magnetometers.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the filtering comprises reversal of ¹H magnetization in alternating signal co-additions.

43. The method of claim 32, wherein generating a location of the subsurface liquid includes generating a numerical location of the subsurface liquid.

44. The method of claim 32, wherein generating a location of the subsurface liquid includes generating a two-dimensional reconstruction of the subsurface liquid.

45. The method of claim 32, wherein generating a location of the subsurface liquid includes generating a three-dimensional reconstruction of the subsurface liquid.

46. The method of claim 32, wherein the subsurface liquid is oil.

47. The method of claim 32, wherein the subsurface liquid is water.