A two electrode apparatus for electrical impedance measurements

A two electrode cell for complex impedance measurements on core samples in the range 1 mHz - 0.3 kHz is described. Two electrode cells are more convenient than four electrode cells but some restrictions need to be observed. I will show that the contact impedance between the electrodes and the sample can be controlled and reduced to less than fifty ohms in most cases. The contact impedance is repeatable, with a peak phase near 10 Hz of less than one degree and a maximum change in impedance magnitude of less than fifty ohm. A model for the contact impedance is used to correct impedance measurements, leaving an un-modeled contact impedance of a few ohms. There is typically a drift of about 100 ohm during a measurement sequence due to diffusion between the ceramic frits at the ends of the sample. This is corrected by repeat measurements at 100 Hz. Un-modeled impedance changes due to drift are about ten ohm. The un-modeled impedance changes mean that the relative error on conductive samples is greater than on resistive samples. Repeat measurements on a sandstone sample with conductive pore water (0.14 S/m) yield a mean of 492 ohms with a standard deviation of 20 ohm, or about five percent. Measurements on mineralized core and on cells constructed from mixtures of silica sand and polarizable minerals demonstrate that the two electrode set up can be used even on heavily mineralized samples.