Gosling Czubak Acquires Ground Penetrating Radar

Gosling Czubak Engineering Sciences recently acquired ground penetrating radar (GPR) equipment. The equipment can be used to locate underground utility lines, pipelines, encapsulated mud pits, underground storage tanks, septic tanks, buried barrels, and other buried materials.

 

By moving a radar transmitter and a receiving antenna over the ground surface, the operator can determine the location of buried pipelines, mud pits, tanks, water mains and sewers. The equipment produces an electronic image  viewed by the operator and recorded by the software. In many instances, the limits of a backfilled trench containing the pipeline can be located. The equipment is capable of locating both metallic and non-metallic objects. Variations in soil characteristics identified by GPR can locate encapsulated mud pits at oil and natural gas well sites. 

 

"It is a cost-effective, quick and non-destructive method to locate pipelines and other utilities," said Kevin Ringwelski of Gosling Czubak Engineering Sciences, Inc. "It can limit both the extent of excavation to find a buried object and help prevent damage to other utilities from excavation," he continued. By identifying variations in soil characteristics, GPR can identity the limits of encapsulated mud pits on well sites. This could prevent accidental placement of a drilling or well service rig over an encapsulated mud pit thereby making the rig unstable.

 

GPR works by sending a small pulse of energy into the soil and recording the strength and the time required for the return of any reflected signal. A series of pulses over a single area make up a GPR scan. Reflections are produced whenever the energy pulse enters a material with different properties from the soil, pavement or the surrounding material. The strength of the reflection is determined by the dielectric contrast and conductivities of the two materials. Some of the GPR energy pulse is reflected back to the antenna and some energy also keeps traveling through the material until it dissipates (attenuates).

 

“The use of GPR will help facility owners and operators locate buried pipelines, tanks, and old mud pits. It can help Public Works officials locate sewers, water mains, septic tanks, and force mains including objects constructed with plastic pipe,” said Ringwelski.