Performance of Electrical Spectroscopy using a Resper Probe to Measure the Salinity and Water Content of Concrete or Terrestrial Soil

This paper discusses the performance of electrical spectroscopy using a RESPER probe to measure the salinity s and volumetric content {\theta}W of the water in concrete or terrestrial soil. The RESPER probe is an induction device for spectroscopy which performs simultaneous and non invasive measurements of the electrical RESistivity 1/{\sigma} and relative dielectric PERmittivity {\epsilon}r of a subjacent medium. Numerical simulations establish that the RESPER can measure {\sigma} and {\epsilon} with inaccuracies below a predefined limit (10%) up to the high frequency band (HF). Conductivity is related to salinity and dielectric permittivity to volumetric water content using suitably refined theoretical models which are consistent with the predictions of Archie's and Topp's empirical laws. The better the agreement, the lower the hygroscopic water content and the higher s; so closer agreement is found with concrete containing almost no bonded water molecules provided these are characterized by a high {\sigma}. A novelty of the present paper is the application of a mathematical- physical model to the propagation of errors in the measurements, based on a sensitivity functions tool. The inaccuracy of salinity (water content) is the ratio (product) between the conductivity (permittivity) inaccuracy, specified by the probe, and the sensitivity function of salinity (water content) relative to conductivity (permittivity), derived from the constitutive equations of the medium. The main result is the model's prediction that the lower the inaccuracy for the measurements of s and {\theta}W (decreasing by as much as an order of magnitude from 10% to 1%), the higher {\sigma}; so the inaccuracy for soil is lower.Comment: 45 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl

Design Of An Induction Probe For Simultaneous Measurements Of Permittivity And Resistivity

In this paper, we propose a discussion of the theoretical design and move towards the development and engineering of an induction probe for electrical spectroscopy which performs simultaneous and non invasive measurements on the electrical RESistivity \rho and dielectric PERmittivity \epsilon r of non-saturated terrestrial ground and concretes (RESPER probe). In order to design a RESPER which measures \rho and \epsilon r with inaccuracies below a prefixed limit (10%) in a band of low frequencies (LF) (B=100kHz), the probe should be connected to an appropriate analogical digital converter (ADC), which samples in uniform or in phase and quadrature (IQ) mode, otherwise to a lock-in amplifier. The paper develops only a suitable number of numerical simulations, using Mathcad, which provide the working frequencies, the electrode-electrode distance and the optimization of the height above ground minimizing the inaccuracies of the RESPER, in galvanic or capacitive contact with terrestrial soils or concretes, of low or high resistivity. As findings of simulations, we underline that the performances of a lock-in amplifier are preferable even when compared to an IQ sampling ADC with high resolution, under the same operating conditions. As consequences in the practical applications: if the probe is connected to a data acquisition system (DAS) as an uniform or an IQ sampler, then it could be commercialized for companies of building and road paving, being employable for analyzing "in situ" only concretes; otherwise, if the DAS is a lock-in amplifier, the marketing would be for companies of geophysical prospecting, involved to analyze "in situ" even terrestrial soils.Comment: 37 pages, 7 figures, 3 table

Integrated Geophysical Measurements on a Test Site for Detection of Buried Steel Drums

Geophysical methods are increasingly used to detect and locate illegal waste disposal and buried toxic steel drums. This study describes the results of a test carried out in clayey-sandy ground where 12 empty steel drums had previously been buried at 4-5 m below ground level. This test was carried out with three geophysical methods for steel-drum detection: a magnetometric survey, electrical resistivity tomography with different arrays, and a multifrequency frequency-domain electromagnetic induction survey. The data show that as partially expected, the magnetometric and electromagnetic induction surveys detected the actual steel drums buried in the subsurface, while the electrical resistivity tomography mainly detected the changes in some of the physical properties of the terrain connected with the digging operations, rather than the actual presence of the steel drums.Comment: 29 pages, 1 photo, 3 figure

The calculation of ionospheric absorption with modern computers

New outcomes are proposed for ionospheric absorption starting from the Appleton-Hartree formula, in its complete form. The range of applicability is discussed for the approximate formulae, which are usually employed in the calculation of non-deviative absorption coefficient. These results were achieved by performing a more refined approximation that is valid under quasi-longitudinal (QL) propagation conditions. The more refined QL approximation and the usually employed non-deviative absorption are compared with that derived from a complete formulation. Their expressions, nothing complicated, can usefully be implemented in a software program running on modern computers. Moreover, the importance of considering Booker’s rule is highlighted. A radio link of ground range D = 1000 km was also simulated using ray tracing for a sample daytime ionosphere. Finally, some estimations of the integrated absorption for the radio link considered are provided for different frequencies

Programma di ray-tracing nel magnetoplasma ionosferico

Il pacchetto applicativo “IONORT” per il calcolo del ray-tracing può essere utilizzato dagli utenti che impiegano il sistema operativo Windows. È un programma la cui interfaccia grafica con l’utente è realizzata in MATLAB. In realtà, il programma lancia un eseguibile che integra il sistema d’equazioni differenziali scritto in linguaggio Fortran e ne importa l’output nel programma MATLAB, il quale genera i grafici e altre informazioni sul raggio. A completamento di questa premessa va detto che questo pacchetto, nella sua parte computazionale, è figlio di un programma di Jones e Stephenson del 1975, dal titolo “A versatile three-dimensional ray-tracing computer program for radio waves in the ionosphere”, il quale a sua volta si rifaceva principalmente a un programma di ray-tracing di Dudziak (1961) e di altri ricercatori quali Croft and Gregory (1963), ecc.. Pertanto, come tutti i recenti programmi di ray- tracing, questo è un programma fatto di programmi e non si può non menzionare qui la prima applicazione numerica di ray-tracing di Haeselgrove (1955). Attualmente questi programmi sono stati ottimizzati e adattati alle applicazioni dei radar oltre l’orizzonte - Over The Horizon, OTH – [Coleman, 1998][Nickish, 2008] sfruttando le potenzialità di potenti computer e periferiche per la presentazione e l’utilizzo real-time nel problema delle coordinate registration CR. In ultimo, si precisa che tutti i parametri di input, output e le modalità d’uso del pacchetto applicativo sviluppato saranno forniti nel manuale utente allegato al CD

Magnetic anomalies of steel drums: a review of the literature and research results of the INGV

The detection and evaluation of the status of disposal sites that contain hazardous waste materials is becoming an increasingly important element in environmental investigations. Close cooperation between the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV; National Institute of Volcanology and Geophysics) in Rome and the Italian environmental police has resulted in numerous underground investigations of different buried materials. Among the geophysical investigation tools, magnetometry is the most effective, rapid and precise of all of the geophysical methods for localizing buried steel drums. Analysis of magnetic map anomalies can provide a variety of information about buried materials, including extension, distribution and depth, with processing of the acquired magnetic data. This information is also very useful in case of excavations that are aimed at the recovery of hazardous waste. This study determines the most relevant analyses reported in the literature, with modeling of magnetometric methods for environmental applications both theoretically and experimentally. Some studies and research results achieved by the INGV in relation to magnetic anomalies produced by buried steel drums are also reported, as found in field operations and as achieved from test sites

Inaccuracy Assessment for Simultaneous Measurements of Resistivity and Permittivity applying Sensitivity and Transfer Function Approaches

This paper proposes a theoretical modelling of the simultaneous and non invasive measurement of electrical resistivity and dielectric permittivity, using a quadrupole probe on a subjacent medium. A mathematical-physical model is applied on propagation of errors in the measurement of resistivity and permittivity based on the sensitivity functions tool. The findings are also compared to the results of the classical method of analysis in the frequency domain, which is useful for determining the behaviour of zero and pole frequencies in the linear time invariant (LTI) circuit of the quadrupole. The paper underlines that average values of electrical resistivity and dielectric permittivity may be used to estimate the complex impedance over various terrains and concretes, especially when they are characterized by low levels of water saturation (content) and analyzed within a bandwidth ranging only from low (LF) to middle (MF) frequencies. In order to meet the design specifications which ensure satisfactory performances of the probe (inaccuracy no more than 10%), the forecasts provided by the sensitivity functions approach are less stringent than those foreseen by the transfer functions method (in terms of both a larger band of frequency f and a wider measurable range of resistivity or permittivity).Comment: 50 pages, 11 figures, 3 tables; Earth-prints, http://hdl.handle.net/2122/5180 (2009

The IONORT-ISP-WC system: inclusion of an electron collision frequency model for the D-layer

The IONORT-ISP system (IONOspheric Ray-Tracing – IRI-SIRMUP-PROFILES) was recently developed and tested by comparing the measured oblique ionograms over the radio link between Rome (41.89ºN, 12.48ºE), Italy, and Chania (35.51ºN, 24.02ºE), Greece, with the IONORT-ISP simulated oblique ionograms (Settimi et al., 2013). The present paper describes an upgrade of the system to include: a) electron-neutral collision have been included by using a collision frequency model that consists of a double exponential profile; b) the ISP three dimensional (3-D) model of electron density profile grid has been extended down to the altitude of the D-layer; c) the resolution in latitude and longitude of the ISP 3-D model of electron density profile grid has been increased from 2°x2° to 1°x1°. Based on these updates, a new software tool called IONORT-ISP-WC (WC means with collisions) was developed, and a database of 33 IONORT-ISP-WC synthesized oblique ionograms calculated for single (1-hop paths) and multiple (3-hop paths) ionospheric reflections. The IONORT-ISP-WC simulated oblique ionograms were compared with the IONORT-IRI-WC synthesized oblique ionograms, generated by applying IONORT in conjunction with the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) 3-D electron density grid, and the observed oblique ionograms over the aforementioned radio link. The results obtained show that (1) during daytime, for the lower ionospheric layers, the traces of the synthesized ionograms are cut away at low frequencies because of HF absorption; (2) during night-time, for the higher ionospheric layers, the traces of the simulated ionograms at low frequencies are not cut off (very little HF absorption); (3) the IONORT-ISP-WC MUF values are more accurate than the IONORT-IRI-WC MUF values