Demonstration of an Enhanced Vertical Magnetic Gradient System for UXO
Abstract
In September 2006, Battelle unveiled two new airborne vertical magnetic gradient systems for mapping and detection of unexploded ordnance (UXO). These systems, dubbed VG-16 and VG-22, were developed with corporate funds on the basis of successful evaluation of a vertical magnetic gradient prototype under ESTCP Project 200038. The VG-16 system utilizes sixteen cesium vapor magnetometers configured as eight vertical gradiometers with 0.5m vertical separation of magnetometers forming each gradiometer "pod" and 1.7m horizontal separation between gradiometers. This system is designed for wide-area assessment where it is not essential that a high percentage of small ordnance items be detected. Swath width of the VG-16 system is 12m, with four gradiometer pods on the foreboom and two on each of the sidebooms. This arrangement is essentially an adaptation of the predecessor Arrowhead system, wherein each single magnetometer on the Arrowhead is replaced by a gradiometer pod on the VG-16 system. The VG-22 system was designed to enhance sensitivity to small ordnance items by concentrating more gradiometer pods in the foreboom structure and operating with those pods closer to the ground surface. This system has 7 gradiometer pods in the foreboom at 1m horizontal separation for a swath width of 6m. There are also two pods at 1.7m separation in each of the sidebooms. These sensors acquire ancillary data at higher altitude than the sensors in the foreboom to provide a more volumetric data set for more robust inversion. Both systems were flown at two locations as part of this study. First, data were acquired at Battelle's UXO test site in West Jefferson Ohio, to allow performance assessment for a wide range of known ordnance types at representative depths and orientations. The systems were then flown over two areas at the Former Kirtland Precision Bombing Range (FKPBR), New Mexico, used previously for Wide Area Assessment research.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA512792
Entities
People
- William Doll
Organizations
- Battelle Memorial Institute