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US 9,429,673 B2Granted
Surface-based NMR measurement
AssigneeVista Clara Inc.
InventorsDavid O. Walsh, Elliot D. Grunewald, Hong Zhang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Technologies applicable to surface-based NMR measurement are disclosed. A surface probe is positionable at or above a surface of the Earth and adapted to make NMR measurements of shallow or very shallow subsurface volumes. NMR spectrometer components connected to the surface probe are configured to control electromagnetic pulses produced by the surface probe and to record resulting detected NMR signals from the subsurface volume.
Claims30
A surface-based Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) measurement apparatus, comprising:
- one or more surface probes positionable at or above a surface of the Earth, at least one of the surface probes comprising:
- three or more static magnetic field generating devices arranged so as to generate a static magnetic field in a subsurface volume, wherein the static magnetic field is larger at one side of the at least one surface probe than at an opposite side of the at least one surface probe;
- and
- one or more electromagnetic field devices arranged to transmit radio frequency electromagnetic pulses to cause a precession of NMR spins within the subsurface volume, and arranged to detect NMR signals produced by the precession of NMR spins in the static magnetic field in the subsurface volume;
- and
- NMR spectrometer components connected to the one or more electromagnetic field devices and configured to control the radio frequency electromagnetic pulses and to record detected NMR signals from the subsurface volume.
3 more elements
A surface-based Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) measurement method, comprising:
- positioning at least one surface probe at or above a surface of the Earth, over a subsurface volume of interest, the at least one surface probe comprising:
- three or more static magnetic field generating devices arranged so as to generate a static magnetic field in the subsurface volume, wherein the static magnetic field is larger at one side of the at least one surface probe than at an opposite side of the at least one surface probe;
- and
- one or more electromagnetic field devices arranged to transmit radio frequency electromagnetic pulses, and arranged to detect NMR signals;
- and
- activating NMR spectrometer components connected to the one or more electromagnetic field devices to transmit the radio frequency electromagnetic pulses into the subsurface volume to cause a precession of NMR spins within the subsurface volume;
- and
- recording, with the NMR spectrometer components, NMR signals produced by the precession of NMR spins in the static magnetic field in the subsurface volume.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.