A RESPER probe for measurements of RESistivity and PERmittivity

Abstract

The electrical RESistivity and dielectric PERmittivity measuring device (RESPER) for non-invasive investigation of media is an exploiting electrical induction by means of capacitive coupling with media as terrestrial soils and concretes. The device utilizes a four-electrode probe to inject a radio frequency into a medium and register an induced current. Complex transfer impedance can be determined from a ratio between a potential measured across two electrodes, and an induced current flowing in the medium. Electrical parameters of resistivity and permittivity characterizing the medium can be established from the transfer impedance, using inversion formulas that also take into account the geometric ratio and position of the electrodes. The device exploits the in-phase and quadrature under sampling technique which, together with numerical operations performed by a microcontroller, allows the device to attain a required performance. It is possible to execute a number of numerical integrations which, combined with some circuit solutions, can reduce the amplitude and phase errors of the acquired signal. The device can operate at variable frequency, maintaining a suitable under-sampling frequency to fully exploit the analogical-digital acquisition performance both in velocity and dynamic range.