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Title: Characterization of a contaminated wellfield using 3D electrical resistivity tomography implemented with geostatistical, discontinuous boundary, and known conductivity constraints

Abstract

Continuing advancements in subsurface electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) are giving the method increasing capability for understanding shallow subsurface properties and processes. The inability of ERT imaging data to uniquely resolve subsurface structure and the corresponding need include constraining information remains one of the greatest limitations, and provides one of the greatest opportunities, for further advancing the utility of the method. In this work we describe and demonstrate a method of incorporating constraining information into an ERT imaging algorithm in the form on discontinuous boundaries, known values, and spatial covariance information. We demonstrate the approach by imaging a uranium-contaminated wellfield at the Hanford Site in southwestern Washington State, USA. We incorporate into the algorithm known boundary information and spatial covariance structure derived from the highly resolved near-borehole regions of a regularized ERT inversion. The resulting inversion provides a solution which fits the ERT data (given the estimated noise level), honors the spatial covariance structure throughout the model, and is consistent with known bulk-conductivity discontinuities. The results are validated with core-scale measurements, and display a significant improvement in accuracy over the standard regularized inversion, revealing important subsurface structure known influence flow and transport at the site.

Authors:
; ; ; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1052925
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-86781
KP1702030
DOE Contract Number:  
AC05-76RL01830
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Geophysics, 77(6):Article No. EN85
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: Geophysics, 77(6):Article No. EN85
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
geophysics,resistivity,inversion,tomography,geostatistics,imaging,characterization

Citation Formats

Johnson, Timothy C, Versteeg, Roelof J, Rockhold, Mark L, Slater, Lee D, Ntarlagiannis, Dimitrios, Greenwood, William J, and Zachara, John M. Characterization of a contaminated wellfield using 3D electrical resistivity tomography implemented with geostatistical, discontinuous boundary, and known conductivity constraints. United States: N. p., 2012. Web. doi:10.1190/geo2012-0121.1.
Johnson, Timothy C, Versteeg, Roelof J, Rockhold, Mark L, Slater, Lee D, Ntarlagiannis, Dimitrios, Greenwood, William J, & Zachara, John M. Characterization of a contaminated wellfield using 3D electrical resistivity tomography implemented with geostatistical, discontinuous boundary, and known conductivity constraints. United States. https://doi.org/10.1190/geo2012-0121.1
Johnson, Timothy C, Versteeg, Roelof J, Rockhold, Mark L, Slater, Lee D, Ntarlagiannis, Dimitrios, Greenwood, William J, and Zachara, John M. 2012. "Characterization of a contaminated wellfield using 3D electrical resistivity tomography implemented with geostatistical, discontinuous boundary, and known conductivity constraints". United States. https://doi.org/10.1190/geo2012-0121.1.
@article{osti_1052925,
title = {Characterization of a contaminated wellfield using 3D electrical resistivity tomography implemented with geostatistical, discontinuous boundary, and known conductivity constraints},
author = {Johnson, Timothy C and Versteeg, Roelof J and Rockhold, Mark L and Slater, Lee D and Ntarlagiannis, Dimitrios and Greenwood, William J and Zachara, John M},
abstractNote = {Continuing advancements in subsurface electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) are giving the method increasing capability for understanding shallow subsurface properties and processes. The inability of ERT imaging data to uniquely resolve subsurface structure and the corresponding need include constraining information remains one of the greatest limitations, and provides one of the greatest opportunities, for further advancing the utility of the method. In this work we describe and demonstrate a method of incorporating constraining information into an ERT imaging algorithm in the form on discontinuous boundaries, known values, and spatial covariance information. We demonstrate the approach by imaging a uranium-contaminated wellfield at the Hanford Site in southwestern Washington State, USA. We incorporate into the algorithm known boundary information and spatial covariance structure derived from the highly resolved near-borehole regions of a regularized ERT inversion. The resulting inversion provides a solution which fits the ERT data (given the estimated noise level), honors the spatial covariance structure throughout the model, and is consistent with known bulk-conductivity discontinuities. The results are validated with core-scale measurements, and display a significant improvement in accuracy over the standard regularized inversion, revealing important subsurface structure known influence flow and transport at the site.},
doi = {10.1190/geo2012-0121.1},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1052925}, journal = {Geophysics, 77(6):Article No. EN85},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 EDT 2012},
month = {Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 EDT 2012}
}