Application of innovative electric field tri-axial sensor and spherical sources to the detection of buried non-conductive objects

This paper presents an approach to Electric Field (EF) imaging, similar to magnetic nondestructive testing and 2D magnetic imaging. While magnetic imaging is well-established with numerous applications, EF imaging, particularly in the low-frequency range, has seen limited development. The proposed setup utilizes four spherical EF sources to generate a configurable electric field and detect non-conductive anomalies by measuring disturbances in this field. The system includes a high-dynamic range EF sensor and signal processing to interpret the induced secondary fields. Initial experimental results demonstrate the ability to image a non-conductive object - for understanding purpose - and the ability to detect buried objects - as a practical example. Finite-element-method (FEM) simulations were conducted to validate the detection principle and support the experimental findings.