Multifunction Electromagnetic Transmitting System for Mineral Exploration

Abstract

Electrical and electromagnetic methods have long played an important role in mineral exploration. For example, in active source prospecting methods, when measuring the values of many electrical parameters, the signal-to-noise ratio can be improved by increasing the transmitting power. In this paper, we present a multifunction borehole ground electromagnetic transmitting system that transmits rectangular waves at a frequency of 0.01–10 kHz with a frequency error less than 10−8 Hz @ 1 Hz (depending on the high-precision temperature compensation crystal) and the initial synchronization error between the transmitter and receiver is less than $ \pm \text{0.1}\,\mu {\text{s}}$ . During operation, either the maximum transmitting voltage output can reach 950 V or the maximum transmitting current can exceed 90 A, but both cannot be achieved simultaneously. We tested the transmitting system at its maximum power output continuously for over 8 h and the power output was more than 48 kW at a current above 60 A. The energy was delivered above ground or underground using existing drill casings to produce the high-power transmissions. The field experiments show that the system meets the demands of the controlled-source audio-frequency magnetotelluric and induced polarization methods used in mineral exploration.