Modelling the Electrical Properties of Porous Rocks and Soils Containing Immiscible Contaminants

Inclusion-based models are used to describe the electrical properties of porous rocks and soils containing immiscible contaminants. The results of modelling show that the functional relationship between dielectric properties and the level of fluid saturation can vary significantly as the pore-scale fluid distribution changes in terms of both the geometrical configuration and the choice of wetting phase. The magnitude of these variations increases with decreasing measurement frequency, indicating that the location of the conductive water phase is important. The low-frequency electrical conductivity depends on the connectivity of the water phase. An inclusion-based model is used to compute the electrical stratigraphy of an immisicible contaminant pooled at the water table interface.