| Summary: | A new field measurement technique for the determination of the lateral extent of subsurface contamination is proposed. It is applicable to tracing contaminant migration from underground storage tanks and waste disposal sites. The proposed approach involves adaptation of the time-domain reflectometry (TDR) concept and relies on the interraction of matter with an electric field. Analysis of the TDR data collected from soil-contaminant mixtures indicates the feasibility of a subsurface contaminant detection. === The proposed contaminant detection technique relies on matching an unknown TDR waveform with a number of known waveforms stored in a computerized database. The analysis is performed in the frequency-domain through the use of the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). It is proposed that the matching process utilize the coherence function. === Application of the proposed technique requires a signal generator, a digital waveform recorder, a portable computer, and a coaxial cable terminated with a soil probe. The main advantage of the proposed system is the capability of on site analysis, thus reducing the time and the expense associated with the subsurface contaminant detection and delineation.
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