HR: 0800h
AN: B41B-09    [Abstracts]
TI: ELECTROMAGNETIC DETECTION AND DIGITAL VISUALIZATION OF DNAPL CONTAMINANTS IN A TWO-DIMMENSIONAL SOILBED
AU: * Serrano, M f
EM: serranoguzman2000@yahoo.com.mx
AU: Padilla, I Y
EM: padillai@uprm.edu
AF: University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez Campus, Road 108 Km. 1.8 Civil Engineering Bld. Rm 101, mayaguez, PR 00681, Puerto Rico
AU: Rodriguez, R
EM: rafaelr@ece.uprm.edu
AF: University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez Campus, Road 108 Km. 1.8 Civil Engineering Bld. Rm 101, mayaguez, PR 00681, Puerto Rico
AB: Uncharacterized underground contamination at hundreds of thousands of sites in the United States poses major risks to public health. Excessive remediation cost of these sites and failure to achieve acceptable clean up levels are attributed to inadequate detection and monitoring of contaminants in underground systems. Electromagnetic technology and imaging systems may offer practical and cost effective technologies to detect and monitor contamination and enhance remediation practices. Cross Well Radar (CWR) is an innovative, semi-noninvasive technique that has proven valuable in detecting changes in electromagnetic properties when materials of different dielectric characteristics are present in underground environments. It may, therefore, serve to locate and monitor contaminants of differing dielectric properties in underground systems. The overall goal of our research is to evaluate the applicability of CWR technologies to detect, image and monitor the distribution of Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids (DNAPLs) under variable saturation and flow conditions. Validation of this technology is conducted through powerful image analysis techniques, which can discriminate between regions of different amounts of contaminants. Experimental work involves placing transmitting and receiving loop antennas in a 2D SoilBED at preset locations, and measuring their transmission and reflection characteristics in the presence and absence of DNAPLs. Simultaneous acquisition of visible images is taken with a camera. The response of the antennas is compared with colorimetric indices developed for different mass concentrations. The indices are obtained through the application of the classification MatLab Toolboxs developed by CenSSIS. A 2D SoilBed system has been developed to evaluate two modes of concurrent detection and monitoring technologies: Cross Well Radar and Image Analysis (IA). Both technologies are applied concurrently in the SoilBed system during DNAPL transport experiments. Variations in electromagnetic (EM) waves are detected in the presence of contaminants, while color images are acquired. EM signal processing and IA algorithms are being developed to establish the relation between electrical soil properties variations and changes spatial and temporal mass of contaminants.
DE: 0500 COMPUTATIONAL GEOPHYSICS (3200, 3252, 7833)
DE: 1800 HYDROLOGY
DE: 1875 Vadose zone
DE: 3200 MATHEMATICAL GEOPHYSICS (0500, 4400, 7833)
DE: 3252 Spatial analysis (0500)
SC: Biogeosciences [B]
MN: 2007 Joint Assembly