US Seismic Systems (USSI) and Northrop Grumman have entered into fiber-optic technology licensing agreement.
For three decades, Northrop Grumman has been conducting research in the field of fiber optics. It has acquired a large portfolio of patents for its research. As part of the agreement, USSI will be utilizing the patents licensed from Northrop Grumman for an advanced product to improve future high sensitivity oilfield fiber-optic geophones.
Presently, legacy magnet and coil geophone sensors are being used for performing exploration and production in oilfields. The CEO of USSI, Jim Andersen, stated that the USSI fiber-optic geophone delivered better performance in various categories including dynamic range, bandwidth, distortion, noise floor and sensitivity.
The partnership with Northrop Grumman will utilize the strengths of both the companies and enable commercialization of the advanced technology for the energy market. The patents, along with the advanced oilfield fiber-optic sensor technology will strengthen the position of the company in the market.
The sector vice president and general manager of the Navigation Systems Division at Northrop Grumman, Liz Iversen, commented that the patents were the fruit of research lasting more than a decade.
USSI is a subsidiary of Acorn Energy. It is a provider of fiber-optic sensing systems and solutions for the defense and energy markets. The company combines optical fiber and electronics to form its sensor system. Northrop Grumman is a global provider of security systems, solutions and products for electronics, aerospace and information systems.
Source: http://www.ussensorsystems.com/