PRESS RELEASE
December 29, 1995
Resistivity measurement with multi-electrode technology
Developed measurement method gives cost-effective and faster prospecting for buildings and roads

Faster and more accurate mapping of subterranean ground conditions is now possible with the aid of a new measurement system from Swedish company ABEM Instrument AB. It is also said to give efficient guidance when mapping pollutants in groundwater or leakage from waste dumps. The Lund Imaging System is based on multi-dimensional resistivity measurement using numerous electrodes and is claimed to reduce the time taken and cost incurred for prospecting when building roads, railways, bridges and tunnels, for example.

The new Lund system was developed jointly with the University of Technology in Lund, Sweden and is based on the company’s well-known Terrameter equipment. It is claimed that multi-electrode technology enables the system accurately to perform geological mapping of ground cross-sections down to depths of about 25 metres (with 2 metres between the electrodes). Under certain ground conditions the equipment is said to be capable of measuring down to about 200 metres.
"The Lund method makes it possible to carry out measurements in two or three dimensions, so that areas of ground can be covered in a shorter time and with greater accuracy than with the methods used hitherto", says Mats Thörnelöf of ABEM Instrument AB.
The system, which is based on the measurement of the electrical resistivity of different materials, was developed to be used with the company’s Terrameter SAS 300C resistivity meter and electrode selector ES464, a matrix selector switch with 4 x 64 channels. The system is connected to a conventional IBM-compatible personal computer and is powered by a built-in rechargeable 12 V battery. Since the instrument is watertight, it should be possible to use the measuring system under difficult field conditions.

Simple data collection
The collection of data is simplified by associated software which, among other things, checks the readings and automatically performs statistical calculations. A built-in fault tracing function makes it easy to find the cause of possible malfunctions.
Measurement results are saved in ASCII format and can be displayed in the form of colour or black and white graphs. The software can also be used for automatic evaluation in one or two dimensions, depending on version. Cross-sections of ground profiles can be drawn, with topography, reference data and reference levels.
The company’s SAS 300C Terrameter, which is at the heart of the measurement system, is a portable digital device for highly accurate resistivity measurement. Using microprocessor technology and sophisticated filtering and computing models, it is claimed to be up to 50 times more accurate than alternative equipment. Even so, the instrument weighs only 5.6 kg, and is very portable./ins

Captions:
(1) With the ABEM Lund Imaging System resistivity measurement equipment it is possible to measure up and draw four-colour cross-sections of ground profiles with topography, reference data and reference levels.

(2) The Lund Imaging System is used with the company’s Terrameter SAS 300C portable measuring equipment and is connected to a conventional IBM-compatible personal computer.


For further information:
See attached list of contacts:




NB: This text is available on a 3.5 inch format diskette(MSWord 5.1 for Macintosh or MS-Word 6.0 for Windows)ABEM CONTACTS
December 1995

Germany, Switzerland and Spain
ABEM Instrument AB
Mats Thörnelöf
P.O. Box 20086
161 02 Bromma
SWEDEN
Tel: +46 8 764 60 60
Fax: +46 8 28 11 09

Great Britain
Earth Science Systems Ltd
Peter Fenning
Kimpton Enterprise Park, Unit 1
Claggy Road, Kimpton
Herts, SG4 8HP
Tel: (+44) 01438-833 611
Fax: (+44) 01438-833 541

France and Belgium
ABEM France
Valerié Cadiou
36 Rue de Paris
35000 Rennes
Tel: (+33) 99 38 23 11
Fax: (+33) 99 38 56 50

Italy
A.E.S.S.E Misure SRL
G.L. Furia
Viale Umbria 34/36
20135 Milano
Tel: (+39) 02 5518 7403
Fax: (+39) 02 5518 0231

Austria
Atlas Copco Ges.m.b.H
Christian Böhmerle
Csokorgasse 11
1111 Wien
Tel: (+43) 01-760 12
Fax: (+43) 01-769 56 72