Enhanced UXO Discrimination Using Frequency Domain Electromagnetic Induction
Abstract
The Chemistry Division of the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has participated in several programs funded by the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) and Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) whose goal has been to enhance the discrimination ability of the Multisensor Towed Array Detection System (MTADS). Prior to this project, the industry-standard EMI sensor, the Geonics EM61, was used. The EM61 is a time-domain instrument with either a single time gate to sample the amplitude of the decaying signal or four time gates sampling relatively early in time. To make further progress on unexploded ordnance (UXO) classification, a sensor with more information available was required. The Geophex GEM-3 sensor is a frequency-domain sensor with up to 10 frequencies available for simultaneous measurement of the in-phase and quadrature response of the target. In principle, there is much more information available from this sensor for use in UXO classification decisions. The commercial GEM-3 sensor is a handheld instrument not very amenable to rapid, wide area surveys. This project was funded to overcome this limitation through the integration of an array of GEM-3 sensors with the MTADS platform. The objective of this project was to demonstrate the optimum system that delivers the most UXO classification performance possible while retaining acceptable survey efficiency. Working with a modified GEM-3 sensor, we have designed a three-sensor array and demonstrated it at the Standardized UXO Demonstration sites. The MTADS GEM-3 array is a vehicular-towed array with the operating limitations of a towed system.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA571508
Entities
Organizations
- Environmental Security Technology Certification Program