MEASUREMENTS OF ROCK WATER CONTENT WITH Z-METER 2 DEVICE

Many different devices are available to measure water content of soil but it is not evident that they work with the rocks too. The measurement of rock water content, especially in the field, is not easy for the difficulties in the installation of the probes ensuring the contact between the rock and the sensor. The Z-meter 2 device allow to use different kind of probes that are resistant enough to be installed into rocks. Experimental tests are carried out in laboratory in order to verify if the Z-meter 2 device could be used to measure the water content of the rock. One kind of probes have been installed on rock samples and are tested across a range of measurement frequencies between 100 to 10000 Hz using water with different electrical conductivity values. The experimentation was performed in environment with controlled temperature. Preliminary results reported show that the Z-meter 2 device work well in the calcarenite allowing the measurement of rock water content. The sensitivity of Z-meter 2 probes, to changing electrical conductivity, is high and it suggests to use a calibration curve for each narrow range of known electrical conductivity values of solution.