Temperature dependence of dielectric properties of moist soils

Heating of soil using microwaves has several applications in geosciences, including soil remediation, neutralization of land mines, and microwave-enhanced thermography. Numerical simulation of microwave-induced soil heating processes requires knowledge of the electrical properties of the soil as a function of temperature, moisture content, and frequency of the electromagnetic wave. This paper describes a semi-empirical model for calculating the dielectric properties of moist soils at various moisture contents, temperatures, and frequencies (within the band of 1-10 GHz). The proposed model is an extension of the generalized refractive mixing dielectric model (GRMDM) for moist soils. Predictions of the proposed model were found to be in good agreement with experimental data reported in the literature. Results of a parametric study suggest that the temperature dependency of the dielectric properties of moist sand is more pronounced for higher volumetric moisture contents.