Underground scanning with an impulse radar

Impulse radar is being evaluated for possible applications at the Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP) in southeastern New Mexico. Potential applications are scanning salt to identify inclusions, structural discontinuities, and other anomalies before excavation; and verifying the locations of stored radioactive-waste canisters. Four underground experiments were run. The extent and shape of dome-salt pillars and a langbeinite pillar were measured with the radar. Metal targets that simulated wase canisters were located to within a few centimeters after they had been buried for 18 months. If the material being scanned contains clay seams and other conductive inclusions, penetration by radar is limited. It is anticipated that clean bedded salt will be an excellent medium for scanning with an impulse radar. The impulse radar as it now exists can be used for WIPP applications.