EARTH RESISTIVITY SURVEY REPORT

FOR THE SITE OF:

5000 m3 Water Storage Tank in Al-Karkh

Depot at Al-Latifiyah District

October ‫‏‬2016

Prepared by:
Ass. Prof. Dr. Alaa H. Al-Zuhairi
Consulting Engineering Bureau Laboratories (CEBL)
Consulting Engineering Bureau (CEB)
College of Engineering
University of Baghdad
5000 m3 water storage tank in Al-Karkh Depot at Al-Latifiyah District

1. Preface
Consulting Engineering Bureau Laboratories (CEBL) has been authorized by
Oil Pipelines Company (State Co.) via their letter no. H/281/20410 dated
16/10/2016 to prepare a technical report of Earth Resistivity Survey for the site
of 5000 m3 water storage tank in Al-Karkh Depot at Al-Latifiyah District to the
south of Baghdad City. The work consists of earth resistivity surveying by two
perpendicular lines using Wenner configuration according to ASTM G57:2001.

2. Introduction
Resistivity is the electrical resistance between opposite faces of a unit
cube of material. Resistivity measurement indicates the relative ability of a
medium to carry electrical currents. This measurement is used in the control of
corrosion of buried structures through providing an appropriate cathodic
protection.
Earth resistivity survey was conducted for the 5000 m3 water storage
tank in Al-Karkh Depot in the location pointed out by Oil Pipelines Company
representative in the site. Wenner configuration method which is adopted by
ASTM G57 was used for the estimation of ground soil resistivity sounding and
profiling.
In order to measure resistivity, four electrodes are driven into the
ground. In Wenner configuration, the electrodes are arranged so that the spacing
between each two adjacent electrodes is equal. This separation is represented by
a distance (a) as shown in Figure (1) below:

a a a

Figure (1): Wenner 4 Pin Method Electrodes Distribution

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5000 m3 water storage tank in Al-Karkh Depot at Al-Latifiyah District

The electric current from the instrument is passed between the outer pair of
electrodes (C1 and C2). The potential drop between the inner electrodes (P1 and
P2) is compared with this current and the resistivity of the soil can be calculated
from the ratio of potential (voltage) drop to the current and the electrode
spacing. The resistivity of the soil is measured in (.m) using the equation (1):
ρ = 2π a R (1)
Where:
a = is the electrode spacing in (m)
R = is the ratio of potential drop to current (s) which can be read directly from
the testing instrument.
The value so obtained will be the mean or apparent resistivity.
The testing instrument “Digital Ground Resistance and Soil Resistivity
Tester Type 4620/4630 AEMC Trade Mark, France made” shown in Figure (2)
was used to estimate the site soil resistivity.

Figure (2): Type 4620/4630 AEMC Testing Instrument

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5000 m3 water storage tank in Al-Karkh Depot at Al-Latifiyah District

The resistivity sounding work at for the 5000 m3 water storage tank in
Al-Karkh Depot site comprises by two perpendicular lines as shown in Figure
(3). The point location were chosen after agreement Oil Pipelines Company
representative in the site. Continuous profiling survey using electrode spacing
(a) of (1, 2, 3, 6) meters were conducted in each point.

Figure (3): Location of Earth Resistivity Test

3. Field survey and measurements

Earth resistivity sounding measurements were conducted at 5000 m3 water
storage tank in Al-Karkh Depot at Al-Latifiyah District to the south of Baghdad
City on Wednesday 19/10/2016.

Test Procedure:
The alignment of the measurement is selected to include uniform
topography over the limits of the electrode span. Large nonconductive bodies
such as boulders, concrete foundation, etc. should be not included in alignment
selection. Conductive structures such as pipes and cables should not be within
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5000 m3 water storage tank in Al-Karkh Depot at Al-Latifiyah District

(1/2) the distance between two adjacent electrodes (a). The voltage is impressed
across the outer electrodes and measure the voltage drop across the inner
electrodes. This process can be performed by pushing one button as the used
instrument is a resistivity meter from which soil resistance can be read directly.
Plates (1-3) show some of site work activities.

Plate (1): Alignment Selection for Soil Resistivity Measurement

Plate (2): Testing Device with a Soil Resistance Reading

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5000 m3 water storage tank in Al-Karkh Depot at Al-Latifiyah District

Plate (3): Homogeneous Silty Layer Covers the Whole Site Ground

The results of these measurements are shown in Table (1). Each

measurement was repeated at least two times and the reading is taken when it is
stable. The readings were identical for most of the measurements. The number
of tests electrodes and their distribution for the test point is shown in Figure (4)
below:

Test electrode distributions

a a a
G.L.

Point location

Figure (4): Test Electrode Distributions

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5000 m3 water storage tank in Al-Karkh Depot at Al-Latifiyah District

Table (1): Test Results

Depth of
Line Reading, R Earth resistivity, ρ
Line No. measurement, a
Orientation (Ω) (Ω.m)
(m)
1 0.68 4.270
2 0.68 8.541
1 North-South
3 0.59 11.116
6 0.60 22.608
1 0.35 2.198
2 0.42 5.275
2 East-West
3 0.46 8.666
6 0.50 18.840

The results listed in Table (1) are drawn in Figure (5) to monitor the
variation of the soil resistivity with depth (electrode spacing a). The curve
indicates the nature of the earth resistance variation to the electric current at the
project site.

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5000 m3 water storage tank in Al-Karkh Depot at Al-Latifiyah District

Figure (5): Earth Resistivity Variation with Depth at the Test Point

4. Conclusions and Remarks

The results tabulated in Table (1) and the curve plotted in Figure (5) show
that the values of earth resistuvity measured within a depth of 6 meters below
ground level ranged between (2 – 23) Ω.m.
The resistivity of the soil varies widely throughout the world and changes
seasonally. Soil resistivity is determined largely by its content of electrolytes,
consisting of moisture, minerals and dissolved salts. A dry soil has high

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5000 m3 water storage tank in Al-Karkh Depot at Al-Latifiyah District

resistivity if it contains no soluble salts. Table (3) shows some typical values of
resistivity for different kinds of soils and water.

Table (3): Typical Values of Resistivity for Several Types of Soils and Water
(Earth Fundamentals, Lightning and Surge Technologies)

5. References
a. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), 2008, ASTM G57, Field
Measurement of Soil Resistivity Using the Wenner Four-Electrode Method.
b. Lightning and Surge Technologies, Earth Fundamentals.
c. AEMC Instruments, User Manual, Chauvin Arnoux, Inc.

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