Design of a Low Power, Wireless, Passive Seismic Monitoring Instrument

Rural and remote passive seismic monitoring sites are often challenged by the lack of power and communication utilities. Sites without power lines require costly on-site generation (from diesel, gasoline, propane) or self-sustaining power sources (solar, wind). In all cases, electrical power is a key component in the capital and operating cost of surface-based monitoring systems.<br><br>An instrument was designed for environmental and oilfield passive seismic monitoring with very low power consumption. The device was designed to use either a wired or wireless network link for data communication. Designed for sample rates up to 4 KHz, the instrument is ideally suited for connection to seismic-band sensors such as geophones or accelerometers. A low-noise, high-gain, programmable gain preamplifier provides the necessary amplification for the A/D converter. <br><br>Several of these instruments have been installed at two remote sites using wireless data transmission. Running on solar power alone, the instruments have operated very successfully over the past two years. Reliability and the availability of remote diagnostic facilities are found to be key components in a successful remote passive seismic monitoring program.<br>