A full waveform current recorder for electrical prospecting

Abstract. Current data is an important input data for electrical prospecting data post-processing. Presently, the current recorder has deficient capability for continuous recording, precision, bandwidth, dynamic range, and input range. A new full waveform current recorder for measuring current signal that is ideal for electrical prospecting applications is presented. The new measurement principle enables the fabrication of a high precision current sensor with an autonomous data logger as well as continuous measuring capabilities for full waveforms that are comparable to recent developments for electrical prospecting applications. The full waveform current recorder is capable of measuring current with bandwidth from DC to 10 kHz, with a power spectrum density noise floor of 10 μA/rt(Hz) at 10 Hz. The current recorder has a dynamic range that is higher than 97 dB over a range of 100 A at peak, with time synchronization error as low as ±0.1 μs. All of these features make current measurement a promising technology for high precision measurement with long duration, autonomous data logging for field electrical prospecting applications.