A Continuous Data Acquisition System for Three-Component Surface Microseismic Real-Time Monitoring

Surface microseismic monitoring is one of the most critical technologies for monitoring the dynamic subsurface reservoir processes. Due to the weak signals and poor signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), there are two major challenges to monitor the reservoir processes in an accurate and efficient way. One challenge is concerned with weak signals acquisition and how to evaluate the instrument’s abilities to record the microseismic events. The other one is how to realize real-time data monitoring during dynamic processes. Taking these challenges into consideration, a design approach to develop buried sensors consisting of three-component sensors and a low-cost, low-power consumption embedded device for microseismic monitoring data logger with the acquisition, synchronization, record, and transmission functions are presented. The circuits are divided into two printed circuit boards (PCBs). One is for a signal processing circuit, which consists of signal conditioning and analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and the other is for a digital circuit, which consists of the microcontroller and peripherals, including the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), Micro Secure Digital Memory Card (SD card), and Ethernet transceivers. The circuit for signal conditioning and ADC is a combination of a preamplifier, low-pass filter, programmable gain amplifier, and ADC. It has three modes: real-time monitoring, continuous recording, and combination. A software is designed to work in cooperation with the hardware to adjust the working parameters and modes. The self-noise of the data logger is tested in the laboratory, and the monitoring abilities of the data logger are evaluated. Finally, the surface microseismic monitoring system has been tested in the field to evaluate its performance for academic purposes.