Modeling Electromagnetic Reflectivity of Agbabu Oil Sand from Hyperspectral Infrared Reflectance Spectra and Dielectric Properties at L-, C- and X-Band Frequencies

In this paper remote identification of oil sand reservoirs from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is enhanced by accurate modeling of the electromagnetic (EM) reflectivity of Agbabu oil sands. This is demonstrated using a novel combination of hyperspectral reflectance spectra and dielectric permittivity measurements with computer simulation tools. Infrared spectra (4cm^-1 resolution) were obtained that covered the near-infrared (NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) regions (2.5 - 25μm) to verify the presence of bitumen and sand in Agbabu oil sands. Thereafter the dielectric properties at L-, C- and X-band frequencies were determined using coaxial probe measurements to provide previously non-existent information on the electrical properties of oil sand terrain. This data was used to investigate the EM reflectivity of Agbabu oil sand with EM scattering models developed using computer simulation tools for L-, C- and X-band and geometry θ_i = 20° to 90°.