Improvement of 2D ERT measurements conducted along a small earth-filled dyke using 3D topographic data and 3D computation of geometric factors

Abstract

In the framework of earth-filled dykes characterization and monitoring, Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) turns out to be a commonly used method. 2D sections are generally acquired along the dyke crest thus putting forward the question of 3D artefacts in the inversion process. This paper proposes a methodology based on 3D direct numerical simulations of the ERT acquisition using a realistic topography of the study site. It allows computing ad hoc geometrical factors which can be used for the inversion of experimental ERT data. The method is first evaluated on a set of synthetic dyke configurations. Then, it is applied to experimental static and time-lapse ERT data set acquired before and after repair works carried out on a leaking zone of an earth-filled canal dyke in the centre of France. The computed geometric factors are lower than the analytic geometric factors in a range between −8% and − 18% for measurements conducted on the crest of the dyke. They exhibit a maximum under-estimation for intermediate electrode spacings in the Wenner and Schlumberger configurations. In the same way, for measurements conducted on the mid-slope of the dyke, the computed geometric factors are higher for short electrode spacings (+18%) and lower for lower for large electrode spacings (−8%). The 2D inversion of the synthetic data with these computed geometric factors provides a significant improvement of the agreement with the original resistivity. Two experimental profiles conducted on the same portion of the dyke but at different elevations also reveal a better agreement using this methodology. The comparison with apparent resistivity from EM31 profiling along the stretch of the dyke also supports this evidence. In the same way, some spurious effects which affected the time-lapse data were removed and improved the global readability of the time-lapse resistivity sections. The benefit on the structural interpretation of ERT images remains moderate but allows a better delineation of the repair work location. Therefore, and even if the 2D assumption cannot be considered valid in such a context, the proposed methodology could be applied easily to any dyke or strongly 3D-shaped structure using a realistic topographic model. It appears suitable for practical application.