The Potential Application of the GPR to Detect Organic Contaminants in Sand

FRANCISCA, FRANCO MATÍAS; RINALDI, VICTOR A

Estambul

Congreso; Fifteenth International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering; 2001

International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE)

Non-destructive applications of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) in Geotechnical Engineering require of the knowledge of complex dielectric permittivity of soils. In this work, the dielectric permittivity of a fine-grained sand mixed with different amount of water and paraffin oil was measured in the laboratory in the frequency range of 20 MHz to 1 GHz. The Complex Refractive Mixture Formula (CRIM) was used to model the measurements. The results allow for the evaluation of the minimum paraffin oil concentration in the sand to be detected with the GPR. A laboratory scale model was prepared with the fine sand and a discharge of kerosene was then introduced. The spill was monitored with the GPR at the frequency of 1 GHz. It is concluded in this work that the GPR can be used to detect the presence of organic contaminants in sand and the extension of the contaminated area. Yet, the concentration of the contaminant cannot be determined.