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The Algeria Team and GMR system

Vista Clara has been a pioneer in delivering remote video-based training and customer support, even before the Covid-19 pandemic. Here is a prime example of how our virtual training capabilities, in conjunction with localized professional representatives, can make all the difference for getting end customers up and running quickly and smoothly.

Working with our Algeria representative, IMTRADE Scientific & Industrial Solutions, Vista Clara’s geophysical experts provided remote training for setting up and using one of our GMR Surface-based Magnetic Resonance tools.  The details of how they quickly got up and running, along with some photos and data examples are provided below.

The GMR was supplied to Professor Zeddouri Aziez, the director of the Laboratory of Underground Oil, Gas and Aquifer Reservoirs at the University of Ouargla in Algeria. Ouargla is a city in Southern Algeria, in the middle of the Sahara Desert. The aquifer system in the Ouargla basin is the main water source for the city, while also supporting agriculture and other economic activity. The GMR system is a natural solution for his lab and will enable researchers to map the extent of these aquifers and their properties, for the purpose of sustainable use. Our Algeria-based representative, IMTRADE, has been communicating with the professor for a long time to help him get the right system.

After receipt of the GMR system and the training, everyone was eager to test the system and collect their first real NMR data. For the test, they chose a location that had a number of boreholes already drilled, so the hydrogeology was well known.

According to IMTRADE Products Manager, Brinis “Taki” Taqiyeddine, “The system worked smoothly as we followed the steps from the virtual training. After the last training for data interpretation, we could not imagine our happiness that we got it right from the first trial. The customer is pleased and will be doing multiple tests in the future with our support as they transition to further field deployed projects in the future.”

Field Installation and Testing photos (Click on any image for a larger version)

The Team and GMR system
Laying out the NMR loops
Connecting Everything Together
Virtual Training Session
Taking Readings with GMR
Remote site deployment!

Initial data readings from the GMR enabled the team to accurately characterize the underlying aquifer to depths of 90m, with identification of key parameters as shown below.

Figure 1: Without the GMR’s great noise cancelation capabilities, the user would only see noise. After applying the GMR’s noise cancellation software, the NMR signal is clearly visible and this enables accurate inversion of aquifer properties. Note: the blue is the data before noise cancellation and the red is the same data after noise cancellation.
Figure 2: The same data but shown in the frequency spectral domain. This shows that the noise processes at this site consist of both narrowband and wideband sources. The GMR wideband receive electronics and noise cancellation software are highly effective at canceling both types of noise.
Figure 3: GMR inversion software provides a water-content scaled distribution of NMR signals as a function of depth. In this data set, long NMR signals from water in saturated sands are evident starting at a depth of around 18m.
Figure 4: The final GMR inversion for this site indicates the water table at a depth of around 18 meters, and variable pore sizes and hydraulic content in the saturated aquifer. This experiment used a 35 meter diameter 2-turn circular loop for detection, and this survey and inversion have a maximum depth of resolution of 54 meters. Even though this measurement still detects water below 54m, the inversion result provides only qualitative information on water content at depths below the resolution limit.

According to Dave Walsh, PhD, President of Vista Clara, “One of the things that we like the most is traveling to new places around the world and working directly with our international customers.  However, it’s almost as gratifying to see how quickly customers can our systems set up, tested and collecting real data using our virtual training processes along with the excellent support from our partners such as IMTRADE.”

Learn more about magnetic resonance principles and specifically about our GMR Surface-based NMR tools.

For more info, contact Vista Clara.