scholarly journals Time Domain Reflectometry: Temperature-dependent Measurements of Soil Dielectric Permittivity

Author(s):  
Wojciech Skierucha
2017 ◽  
Vol 07 (04) ◽  
pp. 1750027 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Maria Sylvester ◽  
T. Ganesh ◽  
D. J. S. Anand Karunakaran ◽  
P. Senthilkumar ◽  
Praveen G. Hudge ◽  
...  

Dielectric permittivity and relaxation dynamics of binary and ternary mixture of stearic acid on various concentration and their thermodynamic effects are studied. The static dielectric constant ([Formula: see text]), dielectric permittivity ([Formula: see text]) and dielectric loss ([Formula: see text]) are found by bilinear calibration. The relaxation time ([Formula: see text]), dielectric strength ([Formula: see text]) and the excess permittivity ([Formula: see text]) are found. The thermodynamic parameters such as enthalpy ([Formula: see text]), entropy ([Formula: see text]) and Gibb’s free energy ([Formula: see text]) are evolved. The significant changes in dielectric parameters are due to the intramolecular and intermolecular interactions in response to the applied frequency. The permittivity spectra of stearic acid–alcohol in the frequency range of 10[Formula: see text]MHz to 30[Formula: see text]GHz have been measured using picoseconds Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR). The dielectric parameters ([Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]) are found by bilinear calibration method. Influence of temperature in intermolecular interaction and the relaxation process are also studied. The FT-IR spectral analysis reveals that the conformation of functional groups and formation for hydrogen bonding are present in both binary and ternary mixtures of stearic acid.


Geophysics ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 707-718 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Friel ◽  
Dani Or

Standard analyses of time‐domain reflectometry (TDR) waveforms in environmental sciences use traveltime along waveguides and reflection amplitude to infer water content and bulk electrical conductivity, respectively. TDR waveforms contain additional information on the frequency‐dependent dielectric permittivity of media, which can be extracted through transformation of TDR waveforms into the frequency domain. The primary objective of this study was to provide a more complete picture of TDR responses in the frequency domain and to improve estimation of dielectric properties. The frequency content of TDR waveforms interacting with various constituents was measured and compared with predictions based on known dielectric properties and waveguide geometries. The study highlights the dominant role of the S11 scatter function, which describes how a TDR signal is modified by media properties and probe configuration. Scatter functions derived from transformed TDR waveforms into the frequency domain were used for estimation of frequency‐dependent dielectric properties of wet soils. The main results were (1) a more complete picture of TDR waveforms in the frequency domain; (2) estimation and use of scatter functions for TDR‐based dielectric permittivity estimation; and (3) highlights of potential usefulness and limitations of a commonly used TDR cable tester (Tektronix 1502B) and waveguide design for estimation of frequency‐dependent dielectric properties of porous media.


2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (9) ◽  
pp. 3593-3602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Comegna ◽  
Antonio Coppola ◽  
Giovanna Dragonetti ◽  
Angelo Sommella

Abstract. The term non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) refers to a group of organic compounds with scarce solubility in water. They are the products of various human activities and may be accidentally introduced into the soil system. Given their toxicity level and high mobility, NAPLs constitute a serious geo-environmental problem. Contaminant distribution in the soil and groundwater contains fundamental information for the remediation of polluted soil sites. The present research explored the possible employment of time domain reflectometry (TDR) to estimate pollutant removal in a silt-loam soil that was primarily contaminated with a corn oil as a light NAPL and then flushed with different washing solutions. Known mixtures of soil and NAPL were prepared in the laboratory to achieve soil specimens with varying pollution levels. The prepared soil samples were repacked into plastic cylinders and then placed in testing cells. Washing solutions were then injected upward into the contaminated sample, and both the quantity of remediated NAPL and the bulk dielectric permittivity of the soil sample were determined. The above data were also used to calibrate and validate a dielectric model (the α mixing model) which permits the volumetric NAPL content (θNAPL; m3 m−3) within the contaminated sample to be determined and quantified during the different decontamination stages. Our results demonstrate that during a decontamination process, the TDR device is NAPL-sensitive: the dielectric permittivity of the medium increases as the NAPL volume decreases. Moreover, decontamination progression can be monitored using a simple (one-parameter) mixing model.


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