Standard Guide for Selection of Techniques for Electrical Leak Location of Leaks in Geomembranes

Importancia y uso:

4.1 Geomembranes are used as barriers to prevent liquids from leaking from landfills, ponds, and other containments. For this purpose, it is desirable that the geomembrane have as little leakage as practical.

4.2 The liquids may contain contaminants that, if released, can cause damage to the environment. Leaking liquids can erode the subgrade, causing further damage. Leakage can result in product loss or otherwise prevent the installation from performing its intended containment purpose.

4.3 Geomembranes are often assembled in the field, either by unrolling and welding panels of the geomembrane material together in the field, unfolding flexible geomembranes in the field, or a combination of both.

4.4 Geomembrane leaks can be caused by poor quality of the subgrade, poor quality of the material placed on the geomembrane, accidents, poor workmanship, manufacturing defects, and carelessness.

4.5 Experience demonstrates that geomembranes can have leaks caused during their installation and placement of material(s) on the geomembrane.

4.6 Electrical leak location methods are an effective and proven quality assurance measure to locate leaks. Such methods have been used successfully to locate leaks in electrically insulating geomembranes such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, chlorosulfonated polyethylene, and bituminous geomembranes installed in basins, ponds, tanks, ore and waste pads, and landfill cells.

4.7 The principle behind these techniques is to place a voltage across a sufficiently electrically insulating geomembrane and then locate areas where electrical current flows through leaks in the geomembrane (as shown schematically in Fig. 1). Other electrical leak paths such as pipe penetrations, flange bolts, steel drains, and batten strips on concrete and other extraneous electrical paths should be electrically isolated or insulated to prevent masking of leak signals caused by electrical short-circuiting through those preferential electrical paths. The only electrical paths should be through leaks in the geomembrane. These electrical detection methods for locating leaks in geomembranes can be performed on exposed geomembranes, on geomembranes covered with water, or on geomembranes covered with an earthen material layer.

Subcomité:

D35.10

Referida por:

D7703-22, D7007-24, D7700-22, D7953-20R24, D7852-23, D7240-18, D6455-11R18, D7002-22, D7909-21A, D7931_D7931M-21A, D8551-24A

Volúmen:

04.13

Número ICS:

59.080.70 (Geotextiles)

Palabras clave:

bare geomembrane survey; covered geomembrane survey; damage; dipole method; electrical leak detection method; electrical leak location; electrical leak location method; electrical leak location system; exposed geomembrane; geoelectric leak location; geomembrane; leak detection; leak location survey; leak survey; liner integrity survey; permanent monitoring system; soil-covered geomembrane; water-covered geomembrane;