Monthly Archive: August 2010

Groundradar receives custom dielectric probe in Estonia

Groundradar has recently visited Estonia to take delivery of a custom dielectric permittivity probe, which is also capable of providing electrical conductivity and soil moisture readings. As the potential applications for Groundradar’s proprietary long-range GPR instruments grow, traditional limitations on suitable GPR survey locations are increasingly challenged. Groundradar will use the new probes at a variety of new application sites worldwide to test parameters critical to the prediction of radar performance. Clients may now employ this instrument prior to Groundradar’s mobilisation to provide critical measurements which Groundradar will use to determine the maximum predicted range and resolution of a survey, as well as the most suitable radar system for the task.

MineVue deployed in August to India, Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia

Groundradar’s latest custom long-range radar system, MineVue, has been trialled extensively both above and underground at a series of Indian coal mines in Jharkand and West Bengal states. The system was able to detect abandoned coal workings at impressive depths in environments where complete radar shielding was required.

MineVue was also tested in Papua New Guinea and Australia, where the system was used to detect voids in limestone to depths of over 40 m in cluttered surroundings where traditional low-frequency unshielded radar systems would have been unsuitable. Although limestone is generally an excellent radar environment, some limestones, particularly those with a weathered mantle of clays, can prove problematic for traditional radar equipment. MineVue is a hybrid radar system comprising of a real-time sampling impulse radar as well as a pulse-compression radar which is completely shielded, easily portable, deep penetrating, and continuously tracked by DGPS.

A challenging laterite project in Indonesia where unshielded antennas have been unsuccessful was the site of further MineVue surveying. The results of trials were very encouraging, opening new applications for custom GPR instrumentation.

MineVue coal radar system surveys in India

Groundradar’s new MineVue hybrid GPR system was used extensively at a number of coal mines in India to detect abandoned workings at impressive depths from both above and within mine tunnels. MineVue is an ATEX-approved, intrinsically-safe long-range GPR system designed specifically for deep void detection in mines where unshielded antennas are unsuitable. In nearly every open-pit mine where abandoned workings pose a geotechnical and safety issue, unshielded radar antennas are generally unsuitable due to the above-ground reflections from the near-by mine walls. Similarly, unshielded antennas are impossible to use underground due to the reverberations of reflections from the opposing tunnel walls. MineVue addresses these issues by using a highly effective, yet lightweight, shield, along with two advanced long-range radar systems on a single circuit board. Acquisition and data display is handled by a small Windows Mobile device, eliminating the need for bulky laptops.