Tank Leak Experiment at the Mock Tank Site, 200 East Area: Electrical Resistance Tomography-Preliminary Results
Electrical resistance measurements were used to monitor several releases of brine from the Mock Tank Test site at the 200 East Area. Three different methods were used to analyze the data: (1) a simple average of the raw data was used as an indicator of the presence/absence of a leak, (2) tomography of the region beneath the tank using data from steel-cased borehole, and (3) tomography of the region beneath the tank using data from vertical electrode arrays. Each of these methods was able to detect the presence of what appeared to be conductive plumes forming beneath the tank. The results suggest the following: (1) The minimum detectable leak volume is of the Order of a few hundred gallons. (2) procedure involving the use of reciprocal data can be used to evaluate the reliability of the results and minimize the potential for false-positive and false-negative conclusions; (3) The dry wells may be used as long electrodes to obtain 2D images of the plume under the tank. (4) 3D electrical resistance tomography (ERT) images provide information that can be used to determine the released volume, the speed and direction of plume movement, the regions of the soil that are being contaminated, and the approximate location of the hole in the tank. (5) It may be possible to map pre-existing plumes when no pre-spill data exists. (6) A ''quick look'' calculation can be used in the field can reliably detect the occurrence of a leak.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 15013593
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-ID-145662-REV-1; TRN: US200601%%430
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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