Self-potential signals associated with localized leaks in embankment dams and dikes

Abstract

The self-potential method can be used to detect and monitor anomalous seepages in dams and embankments. In such a case, an electrical field of electrokinetic nature (i.e., associated with pore water flow) can be measured using a set of non-polarizable electrodes typically located at the ground surface or in some wells. This field can be in turn related to the pattern of groundwater flow. We built an experimental dam to investigate to which extent the self-potential method can help characterizing seepages in dams. We first use the finite element method to simulate the ground water flow in a heterogeneous porous and permeable material by solving the groundwater flow equation. The resulting groundwater flow solution is then used to compute the electrical potential distribution by solving the corresponding elliptic partial differential equation. In a preliminary experiment, we could not measure any self-potential anomaly associated with the infiltration of water in the dam. Our numerical simulations showed that the magnitudes of the self-potential anomalies were controlled by (1) the nature of the flow regime (viscous laminar versus inertial laminar flow regimes) and (2) the presence of insulating Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) tubes located at the end of the preferential flow channels in the structure of the dam. Thanks to these numerical simulations, we added sand at the entrance of the infiltration area in order to reduce the effects of the PVC tubes and to restrain the flow regime to the viscous laminar flow regime. New experiments allowed for detecting a self-potential anomaly with an amplitude of around −9 mV consistent with that obtained through numerical modelling with a finite element simulator. This comparison was used to test the accuracy of the modelling approach and define the strengths and weaknesses of the self-potential method to determine preferential seepages in earth dam structures.

Self-potential forward modeling method based on physics-informed neural networks

“…4). We use COMSOL Multiphysics, a finite element calculation software for multi physical field problems, which has been widely used in groundwater problems 6,11,13 .…”

Numerical modeling of physical and biochemical processes in the subsurface and their impacts on the self-potential signature

“…Examples include pumping tests (Soueid Ahmed et al, 2016), seepages from ditches or into sinkholes (Bolève et al, 2007), water leakage in dams (Bolève et al, 2011;Soueid Ahmed et al, 2020), or contaminated site affected by hydrological dynamics (Abbas et al, 2017). Moreover, the formulation was also extended to the inertial laminar flow regime and unsaturated area with excellent agreement between the theory and experimental data (Jardani et al, 2007;Mboh et al, 2012;Soueid Ahmed et al, 2019), making it more applicable to vadose zone research (Soldi et al, 2020). SP associated with redox processes is induced by electron transfer, where electron donors (e.g., organic carbon) deliver electrons to acceptors (e.g., oxygen or nitrate) driven by redox potential (Jouniaux et al, 2009).…”

Advancing quantitative understanding of self-potential signatures in the critical zone through long-term monitoring

“…Most studies have based their interpretations on the electrokinetic effect, which originates when water flowing in porous media drags excess electric charges in the electrical double layer to produce the so-called streaming potential. SP signals attributed to streaming potentials have been used to characterize hydraulic parameters (e.g., Zlotnicki and Nishida, 2003;Jardani et al, 2009;Jougnot et al, 2012;Soueid Ahmed et al, 2014), landslides (Lapenna et al, 2003) and seepage from dams (e.g., Ikard et al, 2014;Rittgers et al, 2014;Soueid Ahmed et al, 2019). SP signals of electrochemical origin arise in the presence of ionic concentration gradients in the pore water or when redox reactions are facilitated by electronic conductors.…”