Proposed algorithm for determining the delta intercept of a thermocouple psychrometer curve

Technical Report · Thu Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/138658· OSTI ID:138658

Kurzmack, M A

The USGS Hydrologic Investigations Program is currently developing instrumentation to study the unsaturated zone at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Surface-based boreholes up to 2,500 feet in depth will be drilled, and then instrumented in order to define the water potential field within the unsaturated zone. Thermocouple psychrometers will be used to monitor the in-situ water potential. An algorithm is proposed for simply and efficiently reducing a six wire thermocouple psychrometer voltage output curve to a single value, the delta intercept. The algorithm identifies a plateau region in the psychrometer curve and extrapolates a linear regression back to the initial start of relaxation. When properly conditioned for the measurements being made, the algorithm results in reasonable results even with incomplete or noisy psychrometer curves over a 1 to 60 bar range.

• Research Organization: Geological Survey, Denver, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AI08-92NV10874
• OSTI ID: 138658
• Report Number(s): USGS-OFR--92-490; ON: DE93016278
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
44 INSTRUMENTATION
INCLUDING NUCLEAR AND PARTICLE DETECTORS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ALGORITHMS
CALIBRATION
COMPUTER PROGRAM DOCUMENTATION
DATA ANALYSIS
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
EVAPORATION
EXTRAPOLATION
HYDROLOGY
MEDIUM PRESSURE
PASCAL
PSYCHROMETRY
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
REGRESSION ANALYSIS
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
THERMOCOUPLES
VAPOR CONDENSATION
WATER SATURATION
WATER VAPOR
YUCCA MOUNTAIN
Yucca Mountain Project