Study pertaining to leak simulations in electrical leak location dipole testing. A better understanding of dipole testing calibration using various plate sizes and shapes

¹ Groupe Alphard, 5570 Casgrain Ave., Montréal, Canada
² Groupe Alphard, 5570 Casgrain Ave., Montréal, Canada

^* Corresponding author: flabonte@alphard.com

Abstract

According to standard ASTM D7007 for geoelectrical leak location (ELL) surveys on earth materials, a hole simulation or calibration must be performed before starting the actual survey. The standard also states that a 1/4 in diameter metal plate must be detectable based on specific signal strengths, if not, the survey cannot be considered completed by the ASTM standard and must be conducted on a 1 m x 1 m grid. Most ELL companies only perform the 1/4 inch test to see if the surveying speed will be fast or slow. The better the signal, the larger the grid, the faster the survey. Usually, leak location practitioners will then proceed to the leak location either way. The number of projects that fail the 1/4 inch test is quite important, so how do we push things further to ensure the best efficiency on site? What information is necessary to understand how the site responds to the test and what can we do to improve the quality of the survey? Here we will compare data gathered within 11 years with various calibration plate sizes and will explain the effects of field specific parameters, such as the simulation’s position, moisture, thickness, cover material homogeneity, and the most important factor of all: peripherical electrical isolation.