eQube™ Capacitive Electric-Field Imaging Sensor
The eQube™ is a highly accurate, broadband, stable capacitive electric potential sensor for subsurface resistivity imaging that can operate in areas where conventional technology functions poorly or not at all, such as very arid regions, sand, ice, gravel, caliche, exposed rock, and on volcanic rock as well as extremely cold and hot environments. The sensor makes a capacitive contact to the earth, which means it can be placed on the ground without the need for porous pots or burial of the sensing element. These qualities make it especially beneficial for:
- Terrains where other E-field sensors do not function well, such as desert, frozen tundra, gravels, and volcanic rock, etc.
- Regions where environmental invasion should be minimized and/or permitting is difficult
- Circumstances where fast cycle times, small crews, or minimal materials and gear are desirable, such as remote or distant locations, large projects, and for noise/sensitivity surveillance and characterization for feasibility studies and survey design
- Applications for which stability is critical such as time-lapse surveys and permanent or semi-permanent installation for continuous monitoring.
How they work: The eQube™ sensors employ a chemically inert electrode plate that couples to the electric potential in the earth via capacitive coupling (rather than ionic exchange with the local earth). The coupling is a purely electromagnetic phenomenon, which has no temperature, ionic concentration or corrosion effects. The eQube™ employs ultra-high impedance feedback techniques that provide a high level of immunity to the sensor-to-ground contact impedance, and thereby produce unprecedented measurement fidelity. The key performance characteristic is that the sensor output to a constant signal (i.e., its accuracy) does not vary with the ground resistance. This enables rapid deployment and stability in all terrains and changing ground environments caused by varying weather conditions, ground compaction, and ground fissuring. The inert contact to the ground provides an operational lifetime on the order of years and possibly tens of years, even when exposed to extreme environmental conditions. These properties allow the sensors to remain unattended throughout the year.
View our eQube™ Sand Demo
See Services for more information about GroundMetrics’ survey and monitoring services.
See New Applications for more information about current initiatives to develop new time-lapse and continuous monitoring methods.
See News & Events for technical posters and articles about the technology.