ALISO VIEJO, Calif., Oct. 30 -- 4th Wave Imaging Corp. has received a $500,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to further its research on the time-lapse imaging of fluids as they flow inside the earth.
The company's use of seismic waves to measure changes in quantities of underground oil, water and gas won the support of the NSF's Small Business Innovation Research program. Research at the company has also won funding from other federal and state agencies, as well as the energy industry.
The NSF grant supports further development and commercialization of techniques to track the fluid-flow movement of valuable resources in underground rock formations. Although the immediate relevance is energy- related, 4th Wave said this technology could have significant impact on other scientific and engineering applications, including earthquake seismology, global warming CO2 sequestration monitoring, environmental imaging of groundwater contaminants and clean-up projects, medical imaging and space-based satellite imaging.
4th Wave Imaging's work will allow more accurate measurements of rock and fluid properties using "multicomponent seismology." CEO and Principal Investigator David Lumley said, "We will explore the use of several different types of waves that can travel through the earth. These waves have traditionally been studied by earthquake seismologists to map tectonic processes at great depths, but used only recently to understand fluid flow properties, which require greater detail at shallower depths."
For more information, visit: 4thWaveImaging.com