An application of three-dimensional electrical resistivity imaging for the detection of an underground waste-water system

A 3D electrical resistivity imaging survey is presented in this paper. The objective was to investigate an underground wastewater system at the University of Malaya, Malaysia. Apparent resistivity data were collected along ten parallel lines using a Wenner-Schlumberger configuration; electrode cables were oriented in the x-direction with 3 m spacing. Roll-along measurements using a line spacing of 3 m were carried out covering a grid of 20 × 10 electrodes. All data sets were merged into a single data file in order to perform a 3D inversion. Two different 3D least squares algorithms, based on the robust inversion method and the smoothness-constrained technique, were used for the inversion of the apparent resistivity data. Both the horizontal and vertical extents of the anomalous zones found by inversion are displayed. The results indicate the superiority of the robust inversion method over the smoothness-constrained technique at this site. The results are in sufficient accordance with previously known information about the investigation area. The results show that 3D electrical resistivity imaging surveys, in combination with an appropriate 3D inversion method, can be highly useful for engineering and archaeological investigations as well as for environmental applications.     

Rapid inversion of data from 2D resistivity surveys with electrode displacements

Resistivity monitoring surveys are used to detect temporal changes in the subsurface using repeated measurements over the same site. The positions of the electrodes are typically measured at the start of the survey program and possibly at occasional later times. In areas with unstable ground, such as landslide‐prone slopes, the positions of the electrodes can be displaced by ground movements. If this occurs at times when the positions of the electrodes are not directly measured, they have to be estimated. This can be done by interpolation or, as in recent developments, from the resistivity data using new inverse methods. The smoothness‐constrained least squares optimisation method can be modified to include the electrode positions as additional unknown parameters. The Jacobian matrices with the sensitivity of the apparent resistivity measurements to changes in the electrode positions are then required by the optimisation method. In this paper, a fast adjoint‐equation method is used to calculate the Jacobian matrices required by the least squares method to reduce the calculation time. In areas with large near‐surface resistivity contrasts, the inversion routine sometimes cannot accurately distinguish between electrode displacements and subsurface resistivity variations. To overcome this problem, the model for the initial time‐lapse dataset (with accurately known electrode positions) is used as the starting model for the inversion of the later‐time dataset. This greatly improves the accuracy of the estimated electrode positions compared to the use of a homogeneous half‐space starting model. In areas where the movement of the electrodes is expected to occur in a fixed direction, the method of transformations can be used to include this information as an additional constraint in the optimisation routine.     

Use of four-electrode arrays in three-dimensional electrical resistivity imaging survey

The objective of this paper is to investigate the applicability of four-electrode arrays in 3D electrical resistivity imaging survey. A 3D resistivity imaging survey was carried out along fourteen parallel lines using dipole-dipole, Wenner-Schlumberger, and Wenner arrays with 2 m minimum electrode spacings. Roll-along measurements using a line spacing of 1 m were carried out covering a grid of 20 × 14 electrodes. The 3D least squares algorithm, based on the robust inversion method, was used in the inversion of the 3D apparent resistivity data sets. The results show that the 3D electrical resistivity imaging survey using the Wenner-Schlumberger and the dipole-dipole arrays, or the Wenner and the dipole-dipole arrays, in combination with an appropriate 3D inversion method, can be highly useful when the site conditions do not allow using the pole-pole or pole-dipole arrays.     

Rapid least-squares inversion of apparent resistivity pseudosections by a quasi-Newton method1

A fast inversion technique for the interpretation of data from resistivity tomography surveys has been developed for operation on a microcomputer. This technique is based on the smoothness-constrained least-squares method and it produces a two-dimensional subsurface model from the apparent resistivity pseudosection. In the first iteration, a homogeneous earth model is used as the starting model for which the apparent resistivity partial derivative values can be calculated analytically. For subsequent iterations, a quasi-Newton method is used to estimate the partial derivatives which reduces the computer time and memory space required by about eight and twelve times, respectively, compared to the conventional least-squares method. Tests with a variety of computer models and data from field surveys show that this technique is insensitive to random noise and converges rapidly. This technique takes about one minute to invert a single data set on an 80486DX microcomputer.     

3D resistivity inversion using 2D measurements of the electric field

Field and 'noisy' synthetic measurements of electric-field components have been inverted into 3D resistivities by smoothness-constrained inversion. Values of electrical field can incorporate changes in polarity of the measured potential differences seen when 2D electrode arrays are used with heterogeneous 'geology', without utilizing negative apparent resistivities or singular geometrical factors. Using both the X - and Y -components of the electric field as measurements resulted in faster convergence of the smoothness-constrained inversion compared with using one component alone. Geological structure and resistivity were reconstructed as well as, or better than, comparable published examples based on traditional measurement types. A 2D electrode grid (20 × 10), incorporating 12 current-source electrodes, was used for both the practical and numerical experiments; this resulted in 366 measurements being made for each current-electrode configuration. Consequently, when using this array for practical field surveys, 366 measurements could be acquired simultaneously, making the upper limit on the speed of acquisition an order of magnitude faster than a comparable conventional pole–dipole survey. Other practical advantages accrue from the closely spaced potential dipoles being insensitive to common-mode noise (e.g. telluric) and only 7% of the electrodes (i.e. those used as current sources) being susceptible to recently reported electrode charge-up effects.     

The inversion of data from very large three-dimensional electrical resistivity tomography mobile surveys

New developments in mobile resistivity meter instrumentation have made it possible to survey large areas with dense data coverage. The mobile system usually has a limited number of electrodes attached to a cable that is pulled along behind an operator so that a large area can be covered within a short time. Such surveys can produce three-dimensional datasets with hundreds of thousands of electrodes positions and data points. Similarly, the inverse model used to interpret the data can have several hundred thousand cells. It is impractical to model such large datasets within a reasonable time on microcomputers used by many small companies employing standard inversion techniques. We describe a model segmentation technique that subdivides the finite-element mesh used to calculate the apparent resistivity and Jacobian matrix values into a number of smaller meshes. A fast technique that optimizes the calculation of the Jacobian matrix values for multi-channel systems was also developed. A one-dimensional wavelet transform method was then used to compress the storage of the Jacobian matrix, in turn reducing the computer time and memory required to solve the least-squares optimization equation to determine the inverse model resistivity values. The new techniques reduce the calculation time and memory required by more than 80% while producing models that differ by less than 1% from that obtained using the standard inversion technique with a single mesh. We present results using a synthetic model and a field dataset that illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed techniques.     

基于非结构网格的电阻率三维带地形反演

地表起伏地形在野外矿产资源勘察中不可避免,其对直流电阻率法勘探影响巨大.近年来,电阻率三维正演取得诸多进展,特别是应用非结构网格我们能够进行任意复杂地形和几何模型的电阻率三维数值模拟,但面向实际应用的起伏地形下电阻率三维反演依然困难.本文基于非结构化四面体网格,并考虑到应用GPS/GNSS时,区域地球物理调查中可非规则布设测网的实际特点,实现了任意地形(平坦或起伏)条件下、任意布设的偶极-偶极视电阻率数据的不完全Gauss-Newton三维反演.合成数据的反演结果表明了方法的有效性,可应用于复杂野外环境下的三维电法勘探.     

Field test to compare 3D imaging capabilities of three arrays in a site with high resistivity contrast regions

The applicability of three kinds of electrode configurations used to delineate a buried horizontal pipe was studied. A 3D resistivity imaging survey was carried out along eight parallel lines using pole-pole, pole-dipole, and dipole-dipole arrays with 1m minimum electrode spacings. Roll-along measurements were carried out to cover a rectangular grid. The 2D and 3D least squares algorithms based on the robust inversion method were used in the inversion of the apparent resistivity data sets. The 2D inversion of data sets could not delineate the orientation and dimension of the subsurface anomalies clearly. To obtain more accurate results, a 3D joint inversion of the pole-pole and pole-dipole data sets was performed, as well as of pole-pole and dipole-dipole data sets. In this case, both horizontal and vertical dimensions of subsurface structures were resolved. The resulting model obtained from each array was compared to those of joint inversion method. The result showed that the horizontal resolution does not improve so much as that in the vertical direction when joint inversion is applied.     

Explicit expressions and numerical calculations for the Fréchet and second derivatives in 2.5D Helmholtz equation inversion

In order to perform resistivity imaging, seismic waveform tomography or sensitivity analysis of geophysical data, the Fréchet derivatives, and even the second derivatives of the data with respect to the model parameters, may be required. We develop a practical method to compute the relevant derivatives for 2.5D resistivity and 2.5D frequency-domain acoustic velocity inversion. Both geophysical inversions entail the solution of a 2.5D Helmholtz equation. First, using differential calculus and the Green's functions of the 2.5D Helmholtz equation, we strictly formulate the explicit expressions for the Fréchet and second derivatives, then apply the finite-element method to approximate the Green's functions of an arbitrary medium. Finally, we calculate the derivatives using the expressions and the numerical solutions of the Green's functions. Two model parametrization approaches, constant-point and constant-block, are suggested and the computational efficiencies are compared. Numerical examples of the derivatives for various electrode arrays in cross-hole resistivity imaging and for cross-hole seismic surveying are demonstrated. Two synthetic experiments of resistivity and acoustic velocity imaging are used to illustrate the method.     

Inversion of 2D spectral induced polarization imaging data

Laboratory measurements of various materials suggest that more information can be obtained by measuring the in‐phase and out‐of‐phase potentials at a number of frequencies. One common model used to describe the variation of the electrical properties with frequency is the Cole‐Cole model. Apart from the DC resistivity (ρ) and chargeability (m) parameters used in conventional induced‐polarization (IP) surveys, the Cole‐Cole model has two additional parameters, i.e. the time (τ) and relaxation (c) constants. Much research has been conducted on the use of the additional Cole‐Cole parameters to distinguish between different IP sources. Here, we propose a modified inversion method to recover the Cole‐Cole parameters from a 2D spectral IP (SIP) survey. In this method, an approximate inversion method is initially used to construct a non‐homogeneous starting model for the resistivity and chargeability values. The 2D model consists of a number of rectangular cells with constant resistivity (ρ), chargeability (m), time (τ) and relaxation (c) constant values in each cell. A regularized least‐squares optimization method is then used to recover the time and relaxation constant parameters as well as to refine the chargeability values in the 2D model. We present results from tests carried out with the proposed method for a synthetic data set as well as from a laboratory tank experiment.     

Deep exploration using long-offset transient electromagnetics: interpretation of field data in time and frequency domain

In the framework of the Deep Electromagnetic Soundings for Mineral Exploration project, we conducted ground-based long-offset transient-electromagnetic measurements in a former mining area in eastern Thuringia, Germany. The large-scale survey resulted in an extensive dataset acquired with multiple high-power transmitters and a high number of electric and magnetic field receivers. The recorded data exhibit a high data quality over several decades of time and orders of magnitude. Although the obtained subsurface models indicate a strong multi-dimensional subsurface with variations in resistivity over three orders of magnitude, the electrical field step-on transients are well fitted using a conventional one-dimensional inversion. Due to superimposed induced polarization effects, the transient step-off data are not interpretable with conventional electromagnetic inversion. For further interpretation in one and two dimensions, a new approach to evaluate the long-offset transient-electromagnetic data in frequency domain is realized. We present a detailed workflow for data processing in both domains and give an overview of technical obstructions that can occur in one domain or the other. The derived one-dimensional inversion models of frequency-domain data show strong multi-dimensional effects and are well comparable with the conventional time domain inversion results. To adequately interpret the data, a 2.5D frequency-domain inversion using the open source algorithm MARE2DEM (Modeling with Adaptively Refined Elements for 2-D EM) is carried out. The inversion leads to a consistent subsurface model with shallow and deep conductive structures, which are confirmed by geology and additional geophysical surveys.     

一种大地电磁成像技术

文中将层析成像技术中广泛采用的广义脉冲谱技术应用了解大地电磁 维反演成像问题,实现了电阻率剖面成像.由于在做有限元二维止演的同时,就完成了Frechet导函数的计算,从而提高了反演的速度。文中给出了模型、实例的计算,均取得了较好的效果.     

二维MT快速曲线对比反演方法的可行性研究

最近开发了一种针对二维大地电磁野外数据进行处理解释的新反演方法。该方法以加入阻抗相位信息的一维大地电磁连续介质曲线对比法为基础 ,把一维反演得到的电阻率和相位的数据集作为二维反演的初始模型 ,使用二维有限单元法做正演模拟。在程序的后继迭代中 ,深度方向上用一维反演修改模型的电阻率和深度值 ,沿测线方向由二维有限元作修改 ,反演结束可得到一个接近真实电性分布的电阻率数据集 ,并绘制成电阻率断面图。对模型的反演实验结果显示 ,该反演方法能够较真实地反映地下电性分布 ,而且避免了偏导数矩阵的计算 ,其原理简单 ,计算速度快 ,表明该反演方案是可行的     

Two-dimensional joint inversion of radiomagnetotelluric and direct current resistivity data

An algorithm for the two-dimensional (2D) joint inversion of radiomagnetotelluric and direct current resistivity data was developed. This algorithm can be used for the 2D inversion of apparent resistivity data sets collected by multi-electrode direct current resistivity systems for various classical electrode arrays (Wenner, Schlumberger, dipole-diplole, pole-dipole) and radiomagnetotelluric measurements jointly. We use a finite difference technique to solve the Helmoltz and Poisson equations for radiomagnetotelluric and direct current resistivity methods respectively. A regularized inversion with a smoothness constrained stabilizer was employed to invert both data sets. The radiomagnetotelluric method is not particularly sensitive when attempting to resolve near-surface resistivity blocks because it uses a limited range of frequencies. On the other hand, the direct current resistivity method can resolve these near-surface blocks with relatively greater accuracy. Initially, individual and joint inversions of synthetic radiomagnetotelluric and direct current resistivity data were compared and we demonstrated that the joint inversion result based on this synthetic data simulates the real model more accurately than the inversion results of each individual method. The developed 2D joint inversion algorithm was also applied on a field data set observed across an active fault located close to the city of Kerpen in Germany. The location and depth of this fault were successfully determined by the 2D joint inversion of the radiomagnetotelluric and direct current resistivity data. This inversion result from the field data further validated the synthetic data inversion results.     

基于数字电极技术的电法测量系统

本文分析了电阻率层析成像系统的阵列电极的特征和现代地震勘探采集系统的数字检波器技术,提出了基于数字电极的电法测量系统设计,这种设计将实现电法测量的一次创新;然后较为详细讨论了数字电极的电路结构、系统的总体设计、控制通信网络拓扑结构和其他关键技术,该系统的通信网络结构基于DeviceNet现场总线;最后描述了该系统的功能特点,它不仅用于电阻率、激发极化、相位以及复电阻率的等多种方法,而且可用于时间域或频率域中的2D、3D电法勘探,并同时测量多种装置的数据,实现拟地震方式的勘探.     

THE USE OF A SQUARE CONFIGURATION IN RESISTIVITY PROSPECTING *

Consideration is given to the use of a configuration of four electrodes set in a square array for resistivity measurements. It is found that, by passing current successively between different pairs of electrodes, an apparent resistivity can be determined which is both more sensitive to the position of the array centre and less dependent on orientation than the measures usually obtained with colinear arrays of electrodes. At the same time the observations made enable the degree of the departure of local conditions from conditions of lateral homogeneity to be assessed. Theoretical and practical examples of the use of this electrode system are given and the use of the system both as a tool in mapping and in depth investigations is considered. It is shown that provided electrode spacings are suitably arranged the results of a probe carried out using the square array can be interpreted by conventional methods. The system is shown to have particular advantages in the investigation of lateral resistivity variations and the reduced dependence on orientation makes possible the recasting of interpretation data in an orientationally invariant form with a consequent drastic reduction in the number of type curves required for a particular problem.     

地面可控源频率测深三维非线性共轭梯度反演

讨论了地面可控源电磁勘探三维非线性共轭梯度反演的可行性以及反演过程中考虑场源的必要性.反演采用非线性共轭梯度反演方法.反演过程中,模型响应利用交错网格有限差分技术计算.反演数据采用与发射源平行的电场x分量E_x.利用层状导电模型作为背景,设计了两个理论模型进行数值试验:第一个模型中包含两个电阻率异常,以检验反演的有效性;第二个模型中,在测区外设置了一个低阻异常,以考察源的信息在反演中的作用.两个模型的反演分别从层状背景模型开始,迭代120次后终止.数值试验结果表明,(1)非线性共轭梯度反演所获得的电阻率分布和理论模型吻合较好;(2)非线性共轭梯度算法收敛速度较慢,需要较多的迭代次数完成反演;(3)对于可控源频率电磁勘探,必须考虑源位置信息.因此,本文采用考虑场源信息的地面可控源非线性共轭梯度反演方法能完成真正意义上的可控源频率电磁测深数据的反演.     

3D resistivity gridding of large AEM datasets: A step toward enhanced geological interpretation

We develop a technique allowing 3D gridding of large sets of 1D resistivity models obtained after inversion of extensive airborne EM surveys. The method is based on the assumption of a layered-earth model. 2D kriging is used for interpolation of geophysical model parameters and their corresponding uncertainties. The 3D grid is created from the interpolated data, its structure accurately follows the geophysical model, providing a lightweight file for a good rendering. Propagation of errors is tracked through the quantification of uncertainties from both inversion and interpolation procedures. The 3D grid is exported to a portable standard, which allows flexible visualization and volumetric computations, and improves interpretation. The method is validated and illustrated by a case-study on Santa Cruz Island, in the Galapagos Archipelago.     

Deep resistivity structure of the Dikili-Bergama region, west Anatolia, revealed by two- dimensional inversion of vertical electrical sounding data

Within the framework of the National Marine Geological and Geophysical Program, we re‐examined deep vertical electrical sounding (VES) data. The data, measured in 1968 by the General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration (MTA) of Turkey with the aim of exploring the deep resistivity structure of the Dikili–Bergama region, focus on the geothermal potential. The geoelectrical resistivity survey was conducted using a Schlumberger array with a maximum electrode half‐spacing of 4.5 km. The two‐dimensional (2D) inversion was utilized to interpret the VES data that were collected along 15‐ to 30‐km profiles. The 2D resistivity–depth cross‐sections obtained show very low resistivity values near the Dikili and Kaynarca hot springs. The 2D inversion results also indicate the presence of fault zones striking nearly N–S and E–W, and fault‐bounded graben‐horst structures that show promising potential for geothermal field resources. The 2D gravity model, which is in good agreement with the density variation of the region, supports the resistivity structure revealed by 2D inversion. The lithology information obtained from the borehole near Kaynarca also confirms the results of the resistivity interpretation and the density model.     

Laterally constrained inversion of helicopter-borne frequency-domain electromagnetic data

Helicopter-borne frequency-domain electromagnetic (HEM) surveys are used for fast high-resolution, three-dimensional resistivity mapping. Standard interpretation tools are often based on layered earth inversion procedures which, in general, explain the HEM data sufficiently. As a HEM system is moved while measuring, noise on the data is a common problem. Generally, noisy data will be smoothed prior to inversion using appropriate low-pass filters and consequently information may be lost.For the first time the laterally constrained inversion (LCI) technique has been applied to HEM data combined with the automatic generation of dynamic starting models. The latter is important because it takes the penetration depth of the electromagnetic fields, which can heavily vary in survey areas with different geological settings, into account. The LCI technique, which has been applied to diverse airborne and ground geophysical data sets, has proven to be able to improve the HEM inversion results of layered earth structures. Although single-site 1-D inversion is generally faster and — in case of strong lateral resistivity variations — more flexible, LCI produces resistivity — depth sections which are nearly identical to those derived from noise-free data.The LCI results are compared with standard single-site Marquardt–Levenberg inversion procedures on the basis of synthetic data as well as field data. The model chosen for the generation of synthetic data represents a layered earth structure having an inhomogeneous top layer in order to study the influence of shallow resistivity variations on the resolution of deep horizontal conductors in one-dimensional inversion results. The field data example comprises a wide resistivity range in a sedimentary as well as hard-rock environment.If a sufficient resistivity contrast between air and subsurface exists, the LCI technique is also very useful in correcting for incorrect system altitude measurements by using the altitude as a constrained inversion parameter.