Electric field of grounded horizontal line transmitter for through-the-earth communication

An electrode-based through-the-earth (TTE) communication system sends its signal directly through the earth overburden of a mine by driving an AC current into the earth. The resultant current density is detected and communication is established. Given the noise level and the attenuation characteristics of the earth, the receiver sensitivity and transmitter power required for communication can be estimated. In an effort to estimate earth attenuation, the analytic solution for the field distribution of an electrode-based TTE communication system in a homogenous half-space is derived. The results for different transmitter (Tx)/receiver (Rx) configurations are presented.