Curtin GeoLab
The Curtin GeoLab well calibration and training facility is a unique training well and equipment facility designed to test and calibrate geophysical and other scientific equipment.
The Curtin GeoLab’s NGL-01 training well is located on Curtin University’s Bentley campus. The well is a ~900 m deep vertical borehole and is fibreglass-lined (inner diameter is 150 mm) so that it doesn’t interfere with electronic or electromagnetic equipment. A fibre-optic cable is installed behind the well casing along the entire extension of the well. The cable is looped back at the bottom, approximately 2 km length of fibre in total. The installed cable contains a set of single-mode and multi-mode straight fibres. This facility is exceptionally useful which is characterised; with measurements which are standard, to be able to re-test and calibrate equipment, as well as being able to test and configure equipment prior to deployment.
As access to sites is often so restricted, there is no opportunity for trialing the equipment. In addition, there are significant costs that would be associated with using a borehole elsewhere, so the ability to have a test well and all the corresponding equipment so close to the researchers is a huge advantage.