Electrical resistance tomography using steel cased boreholes as electrodes

Patent · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1999

OSTI ID:872347

Daily, William D ^[1]; Ramirez, Abelardo L ^[2]

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1. Livermore, CA
2. Pleasanton, CA

An electrical resistance tomography method using steel cased boreholes as electrodes. The method enables mapping the electrical resistivity distribution in the subsurface from measurements of electrical potential caused by electrical currents injected into an array of electrodes in the subsurface. By use of current injection and potential measurement electrodes to generate data about the subsurface resistivity distribution, which data is then used in an inverse calculation, a model of the electrical resistivity distribution can be obtained. The inverse model may be constrained by independent data to better define an inverse solution. The method utilizes pairs of electrically conductive (steel) borehole casings as current injection electrodes and as potential measurement electrodes. The greater the number of steel cased boreholes in an array, the greater the amount of data is obtained. The steel cased boreholes may be utilized for either current injection or potential measurement electrodes. The subsurface model produced by this method can be 2 or 3 dimensional in resistivity depending on the detail desired in the calculated resistivity distribution and the amount of data to constain the models.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• Assignee: Regents of University of California (Oakland, CA)
• Patent Number(s): US 5914603
• OSTI ID: 872347
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

electrical
resistance
tomography
steel
cased
boreholes
electrodes
method
enables
mapping
resistivity
distribution
subsurface
measurements
potential
caused
currents
injected
array
current
injection
measurement
generate
data
inverse
calculation
model
obtained
constrained
independent
define
solution
utilizes
pairs
electrically
conductive
borehole
casings
amount
utilized
produced
dimensional
depending
detail
desired
calculated
constain
models
steel cased
current injection
method enables
method utilizes
measurement electrodes
electrical potential
electrically conductive
electrical resistance
electrical current
electrical resistivity
cased boreholes
borehole casing
resistivity distribution
resistance tomography
cased borehole
electrical currents
potential measurement
cased bore
rate data
borehole casings
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