Experimental aeromagnetic survey using a rotary-wing aircraft system: A case study in Heizhugou, Sichuan, China

Abstract

Abstract The mid-high mountain area in Western China is an important area for an aeromagnetic survey in China. To solve the problem that a ground survey cannot be carried out in the research area of Heizhugou (Sichuan, China), an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) aeromagnetic survey system based on a three-axis fluxgate sensor was developed. It can solve the large-scale magnetic survey problem in special areas (mountains, canyons, lakes, etc.). The noise level test, conformance test, and sensor correction methods used in the development of the UAV aeromagnetic system are discussed. When performing sensor calibration, the error generation mechanism was analyzed according to the basic principle of the sensor. Then, the component output model was established, and the zero offset factor was calibrated, as well as the scale factor. After the nine-element iteration method calibration, the steering error was reduced from hundreds to less than 20 nT, better than the least squares method. The aeromagnetic results were compared with ground magnetic measurements, and the results were good.