Resistivity piezocone for geo-environmental site characterization: Two case histories from Brazil

This paper presents two case histories from Brazil where geophysical and resistivity piezocone tests were carried out to detect contamination. At the first one, the site investigation program was carried out to detect salt-water intrusions in a superficial sedimentary aquifer, at the Paranaguá harbor, in Paraná State. The second case history is a sanitary landfill from Bauru City, São Paulo State. In both sites, superficial geophysical tests were interpreted to detect and delineate the shape of contamination plume, helping to locate the resistivity piezocone tests. It was found that the interpretation of resistivity piezocone tests is straightforward to assess salt-water intrusion in sedimentary sands. For tropical soils, this technique presented some limitations since the groundwater table sometimes is deeper than the layer penetratable to the cone. Moreover, the genesis of those soils affects soil behavior and soil and water sampling is required to support interpretation.

Development of a new TDR probe for determining soil water content and dry density

A few traditional methods for determining water content in the field are either inaccurate or time consuming. As an alternative, the time domain reflectometry (TDR) technology has been used in the determination of the soil water content for geotechnical applications. This paper presents the preliminary results on the development of a new TDR probe for determining soil water content and dry density at different depths. This new probe is intended to be pushed into the ground using piezocone equipment. Different from the standard TDR probes with straight rods, the new probe consists of two parallel copper stripes coiled around a PVC-steel core. The probe diameter is the same as the standard 10 cm2 piezocone diameter. Through laboratory calibrations, it is possible to establish expressions relating the soil apparent dielectric constant and the bulk electrical conductivity with the gravimetric water content and the dry density. Copyright ASCE 2007.

A First approach on the new transmission system in northern Brazil

This article shows an analysis of the electrical parameters of a three-phase transmission line section using a relatively new design for steel towers characterized by 280 meters high. These main features, the height of the line conductors and distance between them, are intrinsically related to the longitudinal and transversal parameters of the line. By this means, an analysis was carried out in order to show the electrical variations between a transmission line using the new technology and a conventional 440-kV line through a wide range of frequencies and a variable soil resistivity. © 2012 The Institution of Engineering and Technology.

CaCu3Ti4O12 thin films with non-linear resistivity deposited by RF-sputtering

Calcium copper titanate, CaCu3Ti4O12, CCTO, thin films with polycrystalline nature have been deposited by RF sputtering on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si (100) substrates at a room temperature followed by annealing at 600 °C for 2 h in a conventional furnace. The CCTO thin film present a cubic structure with lattice parameter a = 7.379 ±0.001 Å free of secondary phases. The observed electrical features of CCTO thin films are highly dependent on the [CaO12], [CaO 4], [CuO11], [CuO11Vx 0] and [TiO5.VO] clusters. The CCTO film capacitor showed a dielectric loss of 0.40 and a dielectric permittivity of 70 at 1 kHz. The J-V behavior is completely symmetrical, regardless of whether the conduction is limited by interfacial barriers or by bulk-like mechanisms. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The resistivity piezocone for high resolution geo-environmental site investigation: A Brazilian example

A suit able decision-making on managing a contaminated site characterization program is strongly dependent of the diagnosis process. A detailed diagnosis can be done based on a Conceptual Site Model (CSM) elaboration using high resolution site characterization tools. The piezocone (CPTu) test is a high resolution tool which allows attaching several specific sensors, like the resistivity probe. This hybrid device is called the resistivity piezocone (RCPTu). A simulated geo-environmental site characterization program was performed on an erosion site using different tools (direct push tools soil samplers, hollow stem auger (HSA) drilling and RCPTu tests) to develop the CSM for a site similar to the Brazilian conditions. It was observed a good agreement between the site profiles interpreted by the different methods. The resistivity sensor attached to the piezocone improved the interpretation and the decision-making process on site was significantly better for the CSM elaboration. The RCPTu test data also allowed identifying the hydrogeological heterogeneities. The present study shows that the RCPTu test is also a useful and powerful tool to development an accurate CSM in a Brazilian condition, especially in an approach that prioritizes high resolution geo-environmental investigation. © 2013 Taylor & Francis Group.

Sistema de aterramento com cabo contrapeso representado por linhas de transmissão implementado em Matlab com circuitos em cascatas de PÍ

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Elétrica - FEIS

Estimativa da vulnerabilidade natural do aquífero livre no município de Rio Claro/SP

Pós-graduação em Geociências e Meio Ambiente - IGCE

Eletroresistividade na prospecção hidrogeológica no município de Ourilândia do Norte-PA

A prospecção geofísica para a exploração de água subterrânea em regiões cristalinas torna-se uma tarefa extremamente difícil pela presença de estruturas como falhas, fraturas e ocorrência de variação lateral de resistividade no manto intempérico. Para analisar a influência da variação bidimensional da propriedade física no comportamento das curvas de sondagem elétrica vertical Schlumberger, simulou-se modelos contendo tais estruturas encaixadas no manto de alteração com ângulo de mergulho de 30° e 90° e com a posição do centro de sondagem variando em relação a heterogeneidade. A modelagem numérica foi feita através do método dos elementos finitos com o programa EGSLIB/SEV2D. O resultado da simulação mostra que o emprego da técnica da sondagem elétrica vertical Schlumberger sobre meios bidimensionais não funciona eficientemente, como quando aplicada em regiões sedimentares e de aluvião, devido o fenômeno da ambigüidade que dificulta a interpretação das curvas. Dentre os métodos geofísicos para a investigação hidrogeológica, a aplicação dos métodos eletrorresistivos mostra-se mais simples, eficaz e econômica. Assim, o levantamento geofísico para orientar os trabalhos de perfurações de poços na cidade de Ourilândia do Norte contou de trinta e duas sondagens elétricas verticais tipo Schlumberger e um caminhamento elétrico dipolo-dipolo realizados em diversas ruas da cidade. As curvas de resistividade aparente, obtidas com as sondagens foram tratadas e processadas considerando um modelo de camadas planas, horizontais, homogêneas e isotropicas, inicialmente com o algoritmo EGSLIB/SEV1D e posteriormente com uso do programa EGSLIB/SEV1DINV, permitindo estabelecer modelos geoelétricos aproximados para a configuração da subsuperfície da cidade. Depois da interpretação quantitativa, foi possível separar duas zonas geoelétricas distintas. Esta diferenciação foi realizada com base nos valores de resistividade aparente e as informações geológicas de superfície. A primeira, com pouca representatividade na área da cidade, apresenta-se constituída por solo/aterro sobre saprolito de natureza argilo-arenosa recobrindo os granitóides tipo Rio Maria. A segunda composta pelo solo/aterro seguido de um horizonte preenchido por sedimentos arenosos superposto a camada argilo-arenosa e finalmente a rocha sã. Esta seqüência geoelétrica predomina na cidade. Os estratos arenoso e argilo-arenoso apresentam condições potenciais para armazenamento de água.

Small-scale landfills: impacts on groundwater and soil

In Brazil, the large quantities of solid waste produced are out of step with public policies, technological developments, and government budgets for the division. In small municipalities, the common lack of technological knowledge and financial conditions for suitable waste disposal has resulted in a large number of illegal dumps. Therefore, small sanitary landfill facilities are working with simplified operations focusing on cost reduction and meeting the economic and technological standards of the city without endangering the environment or public health. Currently, this activity is regulated at a federal level although there is some uncertainty regarding the risk of soil and aquifer contamination as theses facilities do not employ liners. Thus, this work evaluates a small landfill to identify changes in soil and groundwater using geotechnical parameters, monitoring wells, and geophysical tests performed by electrical profiling. It is verified that based on current conditions, no contaminants have migrated via underground water aquifers, and overall no significant changes have occurred in the soil. It is concluded that, despite its simplicity, the method investigated is a viable alternative for the final disposal of municipal solid waste from small cities, especially in developing countries.

Electrical and Superconducting Properties in Lap Joints for YBCO Tapes

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Geofísica aplicada no diagnóstico preliminar do antigo lixão do município de Rio Claro - SP

The issue of solid waste disposal and urban growth are conflictive, since the areas where old uncontrolled refuse disposal were away from the city today are incorporated to the urban area population. Thus, now population is closer to the degradation of contaminants coming from waste disposal, and, in some cases, these areas become housing subdivisions. This work aims to support the diagnosis of a former landfill in the municipality of Rio Claro (SP), using geophysical methods through resistivity anomalies. In order to develop the diagnostic, it was utilized water and soil analysis of a preliminary report and techniques of vertical electrical sounding and electrical profiling. The areas influenced by the garbage presented less resistivity than the one of the natural subsoil. Through the interpretation of results, the local potentiometric map was elaborated, as well as a map of calculated resistivity. The interpretation of these products indicated a disagreement between the groundwater flow and the current topography, leading to an identification of a preferential direction of the contamination plume in the NE-SW. These observations prove the applicability of geoelectrical methods in areas of former waste disposal with little information.

Electrical properties of highly conducting Sno2:Sb nanocrystals synthesized using a nonaqueous sol gel method

This work describes the synthesis of highly conducting antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) nanocrystals prepared via a nonaqueous sol–gel route in the size range of 4–6 nm and provides insights into its electrical properties. The antimony composition was varied from 1 to 18 mol% and the lowest resistivity (4.0 × 10−4Ω·cm) was observed at room temperature in the SnO2:8.8 mol% Sb composition. The samples were evaluated by X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscope, and resistivity measurements were taken in the four-probe mode in the temperature range of 13–300 K. The results show highly crystalline nanoparticles in a monodisperse colloidal system, dependence on the shape of ATO nanoparticles as a function of Sb distribution, low resistivity, and semiconductor–metal transition.

Electrical Properties at Grain Boundaries Influenced by Cr3+ Diffusion in SnO2.ZnO.Nb2O5-Films Varistor Prepared by Electrophoresis Deposition

SnO2-based varistors are strong candidates to replace the ZnO-based varistors due to ordering fewer additives to improve its electrical behavior as well as by showing similar nonlinear characteristics of ZnO varistors. In this work, SnO2-nanoparticles based-varistors with addition of 1.0 %mol of ZnO and 0.05 %mol of Nb2O5 were synthesized by chemical route. SnO2.ZnO.Nb2O5-films with 5 μm of thickness were obtained by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of the nanoparticles on Si/Pt substrate from alcoholic suspension of SnO2-based powder. The sintering step was carried out in a microwave oven at 1000 °C for 40 minutes. Then, Cr3+ ions were deposited on the films surface by EPD after the sintering step. Each sample was submitted to different thermal treatments to improve the varistor behavior by diffusion of ions in the samples. The films showed a nonlinear coefficient (α) greater than 9, breakdown voltage (VR) around 60 V, low leakage current (IF ≈ 10-6 A), height potential barrier above 0.5 eV and grain boundary resistivity upward of 107 Ω.cm.

Improved electrical transport in lightly Er-doped sol-gel spin-coating SnO2 thin films, processed by photolithography

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Chemical weathering rate, denudation rate, and atmospheric and soil CO2 consumption of Parana flood basalts in Sao Paulo State, Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)