Development News

R-sensors presents a new seismic data logger that is NDAS-8436N.

This 32-bit data logger contains 6 high-resolution ADCs, a precision reference voltage source, a test signal generator, a GPS/GloNASS receiver, and a clock generator with frequency adjustment. 

The control of the ADC chips, the acquisition and processing of signals are carried out through a single-board Beaglebone Green computer running the DEBIAN Linux operating system. The data logger is capable of operating with a wide input power range: from 7.5 to 60 V with an average power consumption of 1.5 to 3.0 W depending on the configuration. 

In addition to the built-in filters of the microcircuit, the data logger software contains digital anti-aliasing filters with a decrease in the sampling rate by 2, 4 and 10 times. The combination of such filters provides sampling rates from 1 to 4000 sps. 

The software allows performing offline registration (miniSeed, ASCII, binary) and streaming data (Seedlink) in real time. 

Along with standard one-second packages, the data are transferred in reduced packages with a duration of 0.1 seconds. When using filters with a minimum phase response, this reduces the delay time and makes the use of this data logger especially effective for monitoring and early warning systems. 

Seismic data are stored in a modern miniSEED v3 format on an external USB drive and SD-card for reliable and convenient storage. 

Using SeedLink v4 with a package size of 100 ms allows quickly and reliably transferring data over Ethernet in real time. 

It is possible to connect analog instruments by R-sensors and analog instruments by various manufacturers.

The Instruments and Systems of Exploratory Geophysics journal published an article titled 'Features of diagnostics of the technical condition of field equipment in methods of natural seismic fields' (in Russian).

The article tells about general positions when performing field work using natural seismic field methods and active seismic exploration methods.

The article covers differences and peculiarities of approaches to assessing the technical serviceability of field equipment and the possibilities of diagnosing the technical condition of seismic stations used in the methods of natural seismic fields.

The Railway Track and Facilities journal published an article titled 'Measuring complexes to monitor railway facilities in seismically hazardous regions' (in Russian).

The article tells about creation and testing of a model of the measuring complex for the seismic monitoring system of railway infrastructure facilities.

The novelty of the system was the use of a highly sensitive molecular-electronic seismic accelerometer as a measuring element and a real­time data transfer module based on a single-­board Linux­-run computer.

The advantages of the used solutions are capabilities to observe a low-frequency component of the facility’s vibration spectrum, continuous monitoring of the facility along with transfer of seismic data over wired or wireless networks, detection of seismic events and sending messages to the system operator in real time.

A distinctive feature of the complex is a flexible configuration for each monitoring facility.

TASS, the Russian news agency, published an article on a new type of sensors made by R-sensors for oil&gas exploration on the seabed (in Russian).

The article tells about development and tests of a new molecular-electronic hydrophone in the sea. The developed hydrophones stand out of the analogs with a beneficial combination of technical and economic characteristics which allow using them in seismic exploration, scienific research and water area security systems.

2-page application notes on using R-sensors' digital products to construct real-time monitoring systems. 

The notes tell about the data transfer protocol, R-sensors' well-suited hardware, methods of data transfer to the end-user and additional network options provided by the NDAS-RT multipurpose module.

Journal of Sensors published an article titled 'Frequency Response Stabilization and Comparative Studies of MET Hydrophone at Marine Seismic Exploration Systems'.

The operation principle of the hydrophone is based on the molecular-electronic transfer that ensures a high sensitivity and a low self‐noise level. 

The paper presents a stabilization method of the frequency response within the frequency range at a depth of up to 30 m. Laboratory and marine tests confirmed the stated characteristics as well as the possibility of using this sensor in marine seismic systems. An experimental sample of the hydrophone successfully passed comparative marine tests in the Black Sea with the technical support of Yuzhmorgeologiya, a Russian big research and production company. 

One of the main results is the possibility to obtain high‐quality information at low frequencies that was reached in the course of tests.

R-sensors launches two new models of digital seismometers which are CME-6011ND и CME-6111ND. 

Key features of this series are mechanical durability, low power consumption, presence of force feedback - all these provide a notably improved time and temperature stability of the parameters as well as simplicity in operation. 

R-sensors' digital seismometers can be used in various applications - from seismic observatories to microzoning.

Our colleagues of The Center for Molecular Electronics (CME) in cooperation with The Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth of the Russian Academy of Sciences carried out the field research tests of geohydroacoustic molecular-electronic measuring modules at the test site of Oceanpribor (Ocean Instruments) on one of the skerries of the Ladoga Lake which is east of Saint Petersburg.

Ice-frozen modules in a predetermined arrangement conducted the 24-hour monitoring of seismic events on the ice of the lake. By means of the recorded data, the propagation of various types of waves in a complex structure (ice-water-bottom) were studied. The received data allowed to perform the tomography of the place of measurement. The autonomous molecular-electronic geohydroacoustic modules provided the registration, storage and data transfer in relation to the location coordinates and the exact GPS time during one week. 

In addition, the testing program included full-scale tests of a new development of CME – a prototype of a molecular-electronic hydrophone on a natural reservoir. The sensors' self-noise and comparison of the response to an external signal with foreign analogs were studied.

The Russian Academy of Sciences Journal published the research article titled 'A Molecular-Electronic Hydrophone for Low-Frequency Research of Ambient Noise in the World Ocean'. 

The article describes the data of technical parameters testing of a molecular-electronic hydrophone, the operation of a hydrophone with a frequency range of 0.02–200 Hz and sensitivity of 0.75 mV/Pa. Ambient noise was measured with the use of correlation analysis.

Journal of Communications Technology and Electronics released an article titled 'Measuring Devices Based on Molecular-Electronic Transducers'. 

The article includes basic operation principles of sensors based on molecular-electronic transducers (METs). The reviews on physical processes into MET and their operating characteristics are considered; modern MET manufacturing technologies and methods as well as new applications of planar microelectronic METs are discussed including an overview of devices and systems based on the METs.

That research article is written by R-sensors' team members in cooperation with Russian scientific and research organizations.