Locating Buried Drums
Locating buried drums without digging, probing, or drilling can be accomplished using non-destructive field surveys. The most common non-destructive methods used for locating buried drums are electromagnetic conductivity and ground penetrating radar. Both methods use equipment that is portable and can be easily mobilized to any location in the world.
Electromagnetic Conductivity Surveys
An electromagnetic conductivity (EM) survey is typically conducted for locating buried drums made of metal. The EM survey is rapid and can locate metal buried drums in a short time frame. Photos of the EM-31 and EM-61 instruments in operation are shown below, along with an example of the results obtained from a metal detection survey that located metal buried drums:
EM-31 Survey, EM-61 Survey, and Results of EM Survey (Click to enlarge)
Ground Penetrating Radar Surveys
Another field survey method typically conducted for locating buried drums is a ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey. A GPR survey can be conducted over the entire site to locate metal, fiberglass, or plastic (PVC) buried drums. Or GPR can be conducted only in those areas where the EM survey showed anomalous conditions for metal, if metal buried drums are of concern.
The GPR survey shows cross sectional information in pictorial form. The picture and image below show how a GPR survey is conducted and the results that can be obtained:
Vehicle-towed GPR, Hand-towed GPR, and GPR image
GeoModel, Inc. conducts surveys in every state.
Contact us to check the availability of a crew in your state.
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Click here for worldwide surveys
Go to Ground Penetrating Radar page