ION Sensor Newsletter Q-3 2010

In this issue

• Sensor – More Than Just Seismic.
• Tech Corner – Blurring the Lines Between Seismic and Industrial Markets.
• Photo Contest.
• Sensor Employee Profile – Steve Burden.

Sensor – More Than Just Seismic.

If you are one of our regular readers from the seismic industry you may not be aware of the industrial side of Sensor’s business.

In addition to geophones for seismic exploration, Sensor also designs and manufactures custom velocity sensors for industrial applications including machine and structural vibration monitoring, security, and mining. Some of our industrial customers use standard ‘off the shelf’ geophones while others provide Sensor with a specification and we will do whatever is required to match the customer’s requirements.

Some of our instruments are considered ‘cross-overs’. The SM-64 that Kees Faber wrote about in the last issue is seeing uptake and interest in both seismic and non-seismic applications and sales of our standard SM-6 4.5Hz geophones are currently stronger than ever.

I’m often asked what the most interesting application of a Sensor geophone that I have seen is. This is my standard response (until I hear a better story):

We have a customer in the UK who is in the Security sector that uses Sensor geophones in an amazing application. This company has developed a system for detecting stow-aways hiding in trucks that are transporting goods from mainland Europe to the UK. After exiting the ferry or the Eurotunnel the trucks are parked on a concrete pad with the engine and all electrics turned off and the driver exits the vehicle.

SM-24XL datasheet
SMT-400 datasheet
SMT-40 datasheet
SM-64 datasheet

www.iongeo.com
www.geophone.com

www.spectraseis.com

Geophones in custom cases are placed on the chassis of the truck at all four corners and the system is activated. Within 90 seconds the system can not only determine if there is someone hiding in the truck, but can also indicate where in the truck that person is.

The geophone is actually sensitive enough to locate the person due to the vibration of the truck resulting from the heartbeat of the stow-away. The company even claims that under the right conditions that the system can detect the movement of a mouse.

If you have a better story of a geophone related application I’d love to hear about it.

Until next time. . .

Brad Coram
ION Sensor Sales Manager
brad.coram@iongeo.com

SM-64 Tri-metric serving multiple markets in various configurations

In the May 2010 Newsletter the decreasing gap between the industrial vibration monitoring markets and the exploration seismic markets was addressed in particular related to the newly introduction of ION Sensors very high sensitive geophone line under the SM-64 product name.

In this edition of the Newsletter I will elaborate in a bit more detail on potential applications in the geophysical- and vibration monitoring market when combining three SM-64 transducers in an orthogonal, Gal’perin or even tetrahedral configuration.

In May 2010 the SM-64 product, designed and manufactured at our Voorschoten NL facility, was released. It is enjoying increasing visibility within both the seismic- as well as the non-seismic industry. The three component orthogonal version of the SM-64, the Tri-metric, is expected to be introduced in the third quarter of 2010 and will be demonstrated at the Denver 2010 SEG Conference & Exhibition It is currently being thoroughly lab tested and will be included in a combined field trial comparing it with conventional geophone strings and INOVA’s Vectorseis MEMS sensor.
Main objective: confirming the suitability of the Tri-metric for micro-seismic and low frequency applications.

As the basic signal generator core of the SM-64 is designed around field proven conventional geophone technology, the ION Sensor engineering team has again succeeded to take the lead in sensor technology innovation. Not just because we can but because we see a clear development in the seismic market towards single component, 3C and low frequencies. Not only for applications in the slowly expanding passive seismic niche but also for other poor signal-to-noise environments where the actual seismic information gets easily buried in the noise of the acquisition system. Amplification at the very source is the best chance for success besides using large, non-rugged and costly seismometers highly over specified for the job.

An early adopter of the SM-64 Trimetric technology, Spectraseis, has recently introduced a ‘borehole receiver array for low frequency and micro-seismic measurements…’ which will be deployed in October 2010. The uniqueness of this multi-level 3C receiver array is the combination of very low frequency response down to 0.1 Hz with its extraordinary high sensitivity.

A different application of the same SM-64 technology:

With ION Sensor’s long experience in the seismic business we also understand the requirements for alternative multi-component solutions. For passive geophones ION Sensor developed a 3C orthogonal land case (PE-6B) over 20 years ago which has been successfully used over an extended period of time. ION Sensor were the first to introduce the PE-6S(spike) unit providing the advantages of easy planting combined with better ground coupling. A successful operational improvement for the seismic industry and now commonly used by all major geophone manufacturers.

But a multi-component configuration is not limited to straight forward orthogonal with one vertical element and two perpendicularly oriented horizontal sensors. Gal’perin introduced the idea that three orthogonally placed geophone sensors could be oriented such that they all have the same angle with respect to the vertical (54.7°). In this configuration all three sensor elements are fully identical in their manufacturing and response.

In a tetrahedral configuration four sensor elements are oriented in such a way that respective angles between all sensors are identical. The four component tetrahedral configuration is over determined which allows the full 3D wave field still to be recorded when having a single sensor malfunction. This could be an advantage when placing sensor units in very difficult accessible locations and where the opportunity to quickly fix a problem does not exist, In that case, the 4C Tri-metric may have to be renamed ‘Quad-metric’ for this very specific orientation.

ION Sensor has developed exploration seismic sensor equipment for over 40 years as a result of continued close co-operation with its valued and returning customers. They continue to share their thoughts, ideas and dreams about where their next opportunities are likely to be. Thanks to that embedded company philosophy and our years of experience we are again in the frontlines of developing new and better suited sensor products for the changing market requirements such as single point, low frequency, passive seismic and the largely ‘grey area’ between conventional seismic and seismology.

We have an impressive ‘toolbox’ in our engineering and manufacturing capabilities from which we can combine various sensor characteristics into particular designs relatively easy. Let us know your specific needs and requirements and we may surprise you how quick we will be able to satisfy your request.

With the exploration seismic market expanding its technologies, we are ahead of the game. This is what makes us tick. Make sure you stay tuned as we will have more new SM-64 Trimetric news to talk about in the next months...

Please feel free to contact me directly should you have any questions about the SM-64 or the SM-64 TRI-metric or any of our other products.

kees.faber@iongeo.com

Name that City Photo Contest

The photo below is a cropped city scene from one of the world’s oil and gas destinations. Send an email to matthew.hughes@iongeo.com and if your answer is correct your name will go into a draw for a Sensor bonded fleece wind and waterproof jacket, closing date August 31st 2010.

Sensor Employee Profile

Like every company, Sensor has many people that are the ‘background foundation’ of the company. These are often the folks that aren’t customer facing, that don’t go to all the big industry events, but that make huge contributions to the success of our business.
Each quarter we will be featuring a new Sensor employee and will provide some insight into what goes on ‘behind the scenes’ at Sensor. In this issue we meet Steve Burden, Sensor’s Technical Services Department Manager, who works at our headquarters in Voorschoten, The Netherlands.


Sensor: How long have you been working for Sensor and what types of rolls have you had within the company?

Steve Burden: I have been with the company 25 years and joined the Engineering Department in 1985 to assist with the development of the SMT-100 Geophone tester. I then transitioned the tester into Manufacturing, forming the Electronics department. In this role I was responsible for its manufacture and servicing. Later we went on to develop and produce our other electronic products such as the FieldBox, SMT-150, SMT-200, SHARP and GRIP. In 1994 I moved into the role of Customer Support & Special Products Development Technician where I provide technical assistance to customers, oversee warranty claims and repairs and facilitate modifications to existing products, or the design of new customized products to meet the special requirements which a customer may have. In 1998 I progressed to Manager of this Department.

S: What parts of your current job do you enjoy the most?

SB: We once had a University student visit for a few weeks to evaluate our company structure as part of his degree thesis. His observation was that I have the best job in the company – and I would tend to agree with him! My role has a wide and varied re-mit and is both customer & internal facing and involves working across all departments. Thanks to our stringent quality control system we have seen few significant warranty issues but when they do occur they receive our highest priority to resolve as soon as possible. This can require a high level of communication, coordination and resourcefulness and it’s very satisfying when all the parts of a plan merge together and we have successfully helped the customer. Development of Special Products is also very rewarding. I research new materials and processes and often consult with external expertise.

S: What is your favorite ‘job satisfaction’ story?

SB: A few years ago we developed a highly specialized sensor to measure vibrations in Hydro-electric turbines for Bently Nevada (a General Electric subsidiary) which incorporates electronics, to lower the geophones Natural frequency to below 1 Hertz, and signal conditioning electronics. The development of this sensor was extremely involved and procedural to meet General Electric’s stringent conditions. Again, development of this sensor brought new technologies to our company with electron beam welding, helium leak testing, and certification of the device by an external laboratory to CE & ISO 17025 norms. Development also lead to an upgrading of our Engineering shaker facility with a laser calibrated reference traceable to the Danish national standard. Later we discovered that the high vacuum used during the electron beam welding caused an adverse effect on the performance of the electronics over time and we had to change to laser welding. In addition to supply product to Bently Nevada we also had to achieve an “approved supplier status” which was again a complicated process. However, in achieving this accolade the path is open for future developments within the General Electric organization.
I headed up this project from start to finish, and I find it incredibly satisfying every time I see a shipment of the units to Bently.

S: People in our industry tend to travel a lot and many appreciate a good travel story. What’s your best one?

SB: I will always remember the first time I went on a distant field trip, which was to India to provide training on our SMT-100 geophone tester to various Indian companies. It was 1986 and traveling around India could be quite an adventure at that time. One of the visits was to Dehradun in the Himalayas and I flew from Delhi in an old 1950’s Hawker Siddeley turobo-prop. When we arrived above our destination it was too foggy to land as the pilot couldn’t see the airfield so we flew back to Delhi - I then took a train! A few days later I took the return flight from Derradun back to Delhi and the airfield was just a grass strip with no communications or landing aids except for a simple VHF radio. A bicycle track intersected the runway and if an aircraft came in to land the ground staff would blow a whistle and raise a red flag; cyclist’s would then rapidly vacate the runway...

S: What do you like to do when you are not working?

SB: Hot air ballooning and any other form of aviation! I’ve been flying balloons for many years and have a wide experience ranging from Cloudhoppers (one man balloons where you basically strap yourself to a propane tank) to 120,000 cubic feet (3400 cu/m) 5 to 6 man balloons. I am also a certified inspector which permits me to undertake repairs and perform annual airworthiness inspections on balloons for the governing aviation authorities. Every flight is different and is a mystery tour - you don’t know where you will end up or who you will meet. Over the years I’ve been privileged to some exceptional aerial views, meet many interesting people and have some adventures too. Occasionally we are welcomed in our landing field by the owner bearing a tray with Schnapps and a number of glasses! Early morning flights are my favorite with ground fog& mist in valleys and the sun rising on the horizon – in the summer that means getting out of bed very early! In the autumn and winter months we also fly in the Alps which is far more demanding and requires good planning & precession. At times conditions can be testing, if you make a wrong decision and miss your intended landing the next opportunity could be several hours away. I’m also an avid skier preferring ski tours which combines well with our winter flying.

We and I are lucky enough to be the custodians of a well bred Trakehner-Dutch royal warm blood (KWPN) mare. My wife likes Dressage and practices during the week, and on weekends we both go out for long rides in the countryside with the horse and a bicycle and during the outing swap our steeds.