Forward and inverse modeling of GPR data applied to detect buried pipes, a Case study: Petroleum products pipelines at the Shahrood University

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) method is a non-destructive geophysical method that is used to detect subsurface heterogeneities, and also, to recognize various shallow targets. In the present research, forward and inverse modeling of GPR data was carried out to detect subsurface buried pipes. In Shahrood University of Technology campus, GPR data along several survey lines were acquired using 250 MHz shielded antenna to detect hydrocarbon transfer pipes. To achieve the goal, the real radargram along the survey lines in the area was obtained after applying different processing operations including signal saturation correction, static correction and amplitude gain on the GPR data using ReflexW software. Then, the synthetic radargram corresponding to the real radargrams was simulated using finite-different time domain (FDTD) method. In this study, acquisition of field GPR data and synthetic models were carried out in TM mode. Afterward, the inversion method with solution of an optimization problem was employed for validation of the interpretation of GPR radargram in order to detect buried targets. The results of this study on the basis of conformity of real GPR data with GPR response of their respective synthetic models validated the accuracy of GPR investigations in detection of buried pipes in the area.