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Location
Lexington, Kentucky
Start Date
5-5-2026 8:30 AM
End Date
5-5-2026 9:00 AM
Description
Geophysical techniques provide alternative methods of Coal Combustion Residual (CCR) delineation and characterization to supplement more invasive boring programs used for beneficial reuse planning. A demonstration project was designed to characterize the electromagnetic and seismic stratigraphy of CCR material and test the effectiveness of three geophysical techniques: Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI), Transient Electromagnetic (TEM) induction, and Multi-channel Analysis of Surface Wave (MASW). The demonstration project was completed at a dry-stack CCR unit containing a variety of CCR ash, gypsum, and thin layers of drainage aggregate (limestone). During a single-day deployment, several geophysical survey tests were conducted in specific areas of a dry-stack unit: an Ash Area; a Gypsum Area; and a Mixed Area. Survey locations were selected to overlap historic borehole locations and test method responses in a variety of materials and stacking sequences. Processing was completed by THG and JGGS, and results were correlated to borehole lithology, groundwater, historical ground surfaces, and features. The ERI profile results show high calculated apparent resistivity values correlate with bedrock or highly compact material, and low ERI values correlate with CCR ash material or areas where groundwater is present. TEM data can image deeply without requiring a large survey footprint. The TEM profiles correlate with expected subsurface conditions and are generally congruent with the ERI profile. However, in this case, the increased depth of penetration does not outweigh the decrease in data resolution. The MASW datasets were processed and inverted to determine seismic stratigraphy layer thicknesses and their physical/mechanical properties. The seismic stratigraphy was correlated with interpolated unit lithology derived from borehole logs and historical ground surfaces. Geophysical techniques provide non-invasive methods to characterize and delineate CCR units.
Document Type
Presentation
Archival?
Archival
Included in
Energy Systems Commons, Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, Mining Engineering Commons, Oil, Gas, and Energy Commons, Structural Materials Commons, Sustainability Commons
Subsurface Delineation of Coal Combustion Residuals Using Multiple Geophysical Methods
Lexington, Kentucky
Geophysical techniques provide alternative methods of Coal Combustion Residual (CCR) delineation and characterization to supplement more invasive boring programs used for beneficial reuse planning. A demonstration project was designed to characterize the electromagnetic and seismic stratigraphy of CCR material and test the effectiveness of three geophysical techniques: Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI), Transient Electromagnetic (TEM) induction, and Multi-channel Analysis of Surface Wave (MASW). The demonstration project was completed at a dry-stack CCR unit containing a variety of CCR ash, gypsum, and thin layers of drainage aggregate (limestone). During a single-day deployment, several geophysical survey tests were conducted in specific areas of a dry-stack unit: an Ash Area; a Gypsum Area; and a Mixed Area. Survey locations were selected to overlap historic borehole locations and test method responses in a variety of materials and stacking sequences. Processing was completed by THG and JGGS, and results were correlated to borehole lithology, groundwater, historical ground surfaces, and features. The ERI profile results show high calculated apparent resistivity values correlate with bedrock or highly compact material, and low ERI values correlate with CCR ash material or areas where groundwater is present. TEM data can image deeply without requiring a large survey footprint. The TEM profiles correlate with expected subsurface conditions and are generally congruent with the ERI profile. However, in this case, the increased depth of penetration does not outweigh the decrease in data resolution. The MASW datasets were processed and inverted to determine seismic stratigraphy layer thicknesses and their physical/mechanical properties. The seismic stratigraphy was correlated with interpolated unit lithology derived from borehole logs and historical ground surfaces. Geophysical techniques provide non-invasive methods to characterize and delineate CCR units.
