Research equipment
In the period 2013–2015, the Department of Geophysics was equipped with the new facilities for laboratory and field geophysical measurement, in the frame of the apparatus grant entitled: “Modernization of the geophysical laboratory to improve abilities to determine physical properties of rocks in situ and in laboratory conditions”. The equipment was financed by the special Ministry of Science Fund of Science and Polish Technology. The laboratory set for testing the nuclear properties of rocks comprises scintillator with crystal LaBr3(Ce) (ORTEC Co.) and two-cell spectral alfa Alpha-Duo set with ULTRA-AS ENS-U450 detector, portable radiometer equipped with Ar + CO2 FH 40 G-10 counter with the outer device for pollution measurements – FHZ 742. MCNP-6 software dedicated to Monte Carlo modelling is the complementary purchase for studying nuclear properties.
Petrophysical laboratory is equipped with apparatus for thermal parameters measurement:
- Lasercomp FOX50-190,
- laboratory dryer SLW 53 STD,
- centrifuge – MPW-352/R/RH
- scale – PS450 with the specialist anti-vibrating table – ML 2014094.
The next important purchases are standards for NMR tests (Green Imaging Technologies, Inc.) corresponding to Maran Ultra 23 MHz spectrometer for credible determination of free and bound water in rock samples.
The petrophysical laboratory is equipped with ULT-100 (Ultrasonic Velocity Measurement System, GCTS Testing Systems) for measurements of P- and S-waves velocities on rock samples. It enables also determination of dynamic rock elastic moduli under various pressure conditions. The next important set is the advanced system for core samples resistivity measurements ARS 200 (Core Laboratories Instruments). Laboratory is also equipped with Bartington Instruments MS2 apparatus for laboratory and field magnetic susceptibility measurements.
The most important field equipment bought recently is the seismic measurement 48 channels system GEODE 48 (Geometrics) and movable seismic vibration generator GSESS-500-Turbo accelerated by elastometers. The measurement system together with cables, geophones and vibration source is a self-reliant seismic facility that can be used under various field conditions.
Other important facility is the field equipment for geoelectric and conductometric measurements consisting of SuperSting R8/IP/SP+112 for ERT, and CMDMini Explorer and CMD-Explorer GCM for shallow subsurface conductivity measurements.
The field equipment includes also a set of modern magnetometers – Cesium Vapour Magnetic Gradiometer G-858GSX interacting with the GPS integrated with magnetometry base Proton Precession G-856 and non-magnetic construction for vertical and horizontal gradient measurements.
Additionally, the field equipment is supplemented with digital tachimeter TOPCON OS-103. Modern laboratory and field equipment is supported by special software enabling processing, visualization and interpretation of recorded data. Worth mentioning are two programs: MAG3D and GRAV3D for magnetic and gravity data inversion.
Apart from the newest accessories, the georadar team successfully uses two-channel GPR ProEx System (Mala Geoscience) with the set of various unshielded antennas (25, 50, 100, 200 and 400 MHz), shielded antennas (100, 250, 500, 800 MHz) and HF antennas (1.6 GHz).
The gravity team uses AutoGRAW CG-5 (SCINTREX) gravimeter.