EM

Spectrum
EM Wave
Theory
EM Wave
Theory

Simplifications:
• Conductors:
s>>we

• Dielectrics:
s<<we
 Conductors and Dielectrics
• Skin depth • Skin depth
• = SQRT (2/wms) • = 2 SQRT (e/m) / s
• Wave speed • Wave speed
• = SQRT (2w/ms) • = 1 / SQRT (me)
• Wavelength • Wavelength
• = 2p SQRT (2/wms) • = 2p / w SQRT (me)

• Note - ms are together • Note - e appears here

 EM
Spectrum

• GPR frequencies
– Lowest ~80 MHz
• sees deepest— ~30m
• but poor rez.
– Highest ~1200 MHz
• Shallow— ~10 cm
• High rez
Monitoring Remediation: GPR
Monitoring Remediation: GPR
GPR
 GPR
Antennas

• 100 Mhz
– (lair= 300 cm)
• 200MHz
– ( 150 cm)
• 500 Mhz
– ( 60 cm)
• 900 Mhz
– ( 33 cm)
 Dielectric constant, K
• permittivity e = K eo
where eo = 1/36p x 10-9 sec/ohm-m

• K=1 air V = 30 cm/ns

• =4 gasoline = 15
• =6 dry sand = 12.25
• = 20 wet sand = 6.7
• = 81 water = 3.33
 Dielectric Constant of Soils

90 K (Topp) K (Sutinen)
80
Dielectric Constant, K

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1

Saturated Porosity
Gasoline Spill at OGI
OGI Test Tank
• Pre-spill
OGI Line E6: hours 0-48
• 12 hrs

• 24 hrs

• 36 hrs

• 48 hrs
• 48 hrs
OGI Line E6: Hours 48-95
• 60 hrs

• 72 hrs

• 84 hrs

• 96 hrs
• 108 hrs
OGI Line E6: Hours 108-158
• 120 hrs

• 132 hrs

• 144 hrs

• 158 hrs
 Things to notice
• Gasoline spreads in fingers, maybe reflecting
microtextures in the sand.
• The fingers wax (and wane?) as heads build
up at the source. They pulse outward.
• (Not shown) A repeat survey done the
following spring showed bright spots (gas
pockets) scattered at different depths.
 Problem: Why bright spots?

• Jeff Daniels and his students at Ohio

State have studied many LNAPL spills
in the Midwest. They find that GPR
reflections are almost always dim or
absent over gasoline spills.
• Why was my result (in Oregon) different
from his (in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio)?
DaveC at Coeur d’Alene
Borehole GPR in a boat
CDA GPR - profile
CDA GPR - Interp
 GPR Characteristics
• 80-1200 MHz • Maximum depth
• Uses true EM penetration <~30m
reflections • Can’t penetrate
• Textures, petro- conductive ground
chemicals, UXO... (>~30 mS/m)
• High rez (~10 cm) – clays
• Fast ( km/hr)
– brackish
• Can work near porewaters
cultural noise
• Realistic sections