Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (Apr 2016)

Performance evaluation of two types of heated cables for distributed temperature sensing-based measurement of soil moisture content

  • Dingfeng Cao,
  • Bin Shi,
  • Honghu Zhu,
  • Kun Zhu,
  • Guangqing Wei,
  • Kai Gu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrmge.2015.09.005
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 2
pp. 212 – 217

Abstract

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Distributed temperature sensing (DTS) using heated cables has been recently developed for distributed monitoring of in-situ soil moisture content. In this method, the thermal and electrical properties of heated cables have a significant influence on the measurement accuracy of soil moisture content. In this paper, the performances of two heated cables, i.e. the carbon-fiber heated cable (CFHC) and the metal-net heated cable (MNHC), are studied in the laboratory. Their structures, uniformity in the axial direction, measurement accuracy and suitability are evaluated. The test results indicate that the MNHC has a better uniformity in the axial direction than CFHC. Both CFHC and MNHC have high measurement accuracy. The CFHC is more suitable for short-distance measurement (≤500 m), while the MNHC can be used for long-distance measurement (>500 m).

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