Helicopter-borne NMR for detection of oil under sea-ice

S A Altobelli; Mark S Conradi; E Fukushima; J Hodgson; T J Nedwed; D A Palandro; A Peach; N J Sowko; H Thomann

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.04.041

Helicopter-borne NMR for detection of oil under sea-ice

Mar Pollut Bull. 2019 Jul:144:160-166. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.04.041. Epub 2019 May 16.

Authors

S A Altobelli¹, Mark S Conradi¹, E Fukushima², J Hodgson³, T J Nedwed⁴, D A Palandro⁴, A Peach⁵, N J Sowko¹, H Thomann⁶

Affiliations

¹ ABQMR, 2301 Yale Blvd, SE, Suite C2, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA.
² ABQMR, 2301 Yale Blvd, SE, Suite C2, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA. Electronic address: eiichi@abqmr.com.
³ Lake Central Air Service, 1016 Sabre Ln, Gravenhurst, ON P1P 1R1, Canada.
⁴ ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company, Houston, TX 77098, USA.
⁵ Fugro Geosurveys, 25 Pippy Place, St. John's, NL A1B 3X2, Canada.
⁶ ExxonMobil Research & Engineering, Annandale, NJ 08801, USA.

PMID: 31179983
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.04.041

Abstract

Mobile nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) operating in Earth's magnetic field is adapted to detect leaked or spilled oil trapped in or under sea ice without the need to place any personnel on the ice. A helicopter placed a 6-meter diameter NMR coil system weighing approximately 1000 kg on 92 cm-thick ice surrogate and detected the equivalent of 1 cm thick oil under the ice surrogate in 3-1/2 min.

Keywords: Arctic ice; Earth's field NMR; Mobile NMR; NMR; Oil spill.

MeSH terms

Aircraft*
Environmental Monitoring / instrumentation
Environmental Monitoring / methods*
Equipment Design
Ice Cover / chemistry*
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy*
Newfoundland and Labrador
Petroleum Pollution / analysis*
Remote Sensing Technology / instrumentation
Remote Sensing Technology / methods*