Tuesday, 26 November, 2024 / Edition 35

Feast your eyes upon the tech we are going to cover this week... (record scratch). Sorry, I'm just excited for Thanksgiving! I’ve got so much to be thankful for!

Before the actual feast begins on Thursday for us Americans, I’ve got two words for your inner nerd to nosh on: laser fusion. I discuss one company who’s working to bring that to life as well as some apps that can bring your field work into the 21st century. Bon appétit!

Sarah Compton

Editor, Enspired

There’s a (Field) App For That

P. Ainkaew/Shutterstock.com

When I did field work (past tense, sadly), most of our toolkit looked the same as it had for a century: pencils, paper maps, Brunton compass, and copious amounts of coffee and beer.

Our more advanced tech stayed in the lab, though our field kits did include the latest and greatest in GPS units and fancy, weatherproof(ish) paper.

No more! Now, we carry more tech in our pocket every day than most people had access to in their lifetimes 50 years ago.

Phones and tablets have created digital apps that translate to real-world applications, and an interesting article by Dynamics G-Ex covered some of the best field apps for geos. I can’t cover them all, but here are the highlights:

• FieldMove Clino. This is a digital compass-clinometer. We do, of course, have a solid real-life tool for this, but the big bonus is tagging pictures to measurements quickly: field time is precious, and drawing takes a while.

• Avenza is a map app you can use offline. The strength here is the ability to incorporate more data, accurately record larger volumes of data, and add pictures.

• QField for QGIS. This one really grabs my attention, because typically, a time sink associated with field work is bringing hand-written data into the digital world. This app is built on top of QGIS to allow you to use your QGIS maps and forms in the field, so integration should be a snap.

• Input: QGIS in your pocket. Want to take the last app a step further? This one adds to QField by allowing you to digitize your notes and create mobile forms that your survey teams can complete while on-the-go.

• ArcGIS Collector allows you to capture and edit data using map-driven forms, including videos, photos, and audio recordings.

The overall advantage of these apps is the same as that phone in your pocket/on your desk: integration of capabilities, easily transferring what would otherwise be disparate data sets, and allowing a larger volume of data collection.

This saves time and reduces the risk of errors associated with redundant data transfer, among other benefits. Of course, you should still keep your trusty Brunton, pencil(s), and paper map handy, just in case. 🤓

A message from AAPG Academy and Eliis

Registration is now open to join AAPG Academy and Eliis on 5 December at 9am CST for the free webinar, entitled Seismic Interpretation in the Age of Automation and Deep Learning.

You'll walk away with insights on:

- Techniques to constrain interpretations to ensure realistic outputs
- Strategies that allow interpreters to maintain control, make adjustments, and quality-check results
- Current challenges around where AI technologies still face limitations and potential breakthroughs that could unlock new opportunities

Laser Fusion Gets a Boost

Courtesy of Focused Energy

Laser fusion. Either word on its own has an automatic “cool” factor, but put the two together, and you’ve also created something with great energy generation potential.

The tech only gets cooler the more I read about it. It basically creates a laser within a laser that drives a fusion reaction to create power.

Here’s a quick rundown of how it works:

• DT Gas, which is a low-density fuel, is irradiated by long-pulse laser beams, which compresses it.

• Gold foil directs short-pulse lasers, which create an ion beam that ignites the compressed fuel.

• The process occurs within a target chamber, which provides the environment needed for the fusion reaction.

Benefits of fusion: There are a couple reasons why scientists have long researched the potential of fusion energy as a power source.

• Unlike in fission, there is no nuclear waste produced.

• Once you get the process going and get it to run continuously, it can essentially produce unlimited clean energy.

Driving the news: German-American company Focused Energy has announced plans to build a $65-million facility to begin using these fusion lasers.

• It has received $175 million in public and private funding, in addition to German government grants.

• Read more about the project here. 

The company claims that if it can prove out its tech and scale, its facility would be capable of powering the entire city of San Francisco on “three soda cans” worth of fusion fuel per day.

Focused Energy plans to use a fuel made from deuterium, tritium, and maybe helium combination, so while “three soda cans” per day isn’t *that* much, we’re all aware of how difficult helium can be to source, let alone deuterium and tritium.

Geoscientists to the rescue! Fortunately, we geoscientists are experts at finding hard-t0-find things, and I see a potential here for us to help.

The big picture: The world’s energy needs will only increase, and new energy sources that are also super cool and nerdy are only welcomed if they can be proven out.

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✉️ To get in touch with Sarah or suggest a topic for Enspired, send an email to editorial@aapg.org.