Evaluation and Demonstration of Gravity Gradiometers
QinetiQ Ltd, Imperial College and the University of Oxford will jointly investigate the use of novel gravity gradiometers to detect buried objects such as pipes, tunnels and sinkholes. We will model the gravitational field of a range of buried targets, and investigate methods to mitigate noise and clutter. We will determine what type of objects are detectable, at what range, and develop some outline Concepts of Operation. We will investigate the applicability of a range of sensors, both high performance "cold atom fountains" and lower-cost MEMS-based devices, configured as gravity gradiometers, and compare them to the performance of commercially available sensors. We will build a single-axis gravity gradiometer based on two existing gravimeters, and use this to validate our models with through short field trials to demonstrate the detection of a buried object.
3/6 complete
Imported from UKRI Gateway to Research | Grant 02D113B2-C9DC-486E-953C-016B03A07CB9.
Open sourceOverview
Grant agreement 02D113B2-C9DC-486E-953C-016B03A07CB9
Open sourceQinetiQ Ltd, Imperial College and the University of Oxford will jointly investigate the use of novel gravity gradiometers to detect buried objects such as pipes, tunnels and sinkholes. We will model the gravitational field of a range of buried targets, and investigate methods to mitigate noise and clutter. We will determine what type of objects are detectable, at what range, and develop some outline Concepts of Operation. We will investigate the applicability of a range of sensors, both high performance "cold atom fountains" and lower-cost MEMS-based devices, configured as gravity gradiometers, and compare them to the performance of commercially available sensors. We will build a single-axis gravity gradiometer based on two existing gravimeters, and use this to validate our models with through short field trials to demonstrate the detection of a buried object.