An Impedance Study of the Membrane Polarisation Effect in Simulated Rock Systems

Work is reported on the development of a high precision, low frequency impedance bridge, and the use of impedance measurement in characterising the induced polarisation effect of unmineralised material. Impedance spectra for a variety of laboratory model clay/rock/electrolyte systems are analysed in terms of an equivalent circuit. By measuring the dependence of the parameters of this circuit, on such variables as electrolyte type and concentration, temperature and pore geometry, an electrochemical model for membrane polarisation has been developed. Polarisation is considered to arise from diffusional limitation of cations at the membrane/electrolyte interface of clay aggregations in rock pores, and this is found to be amenable to a Warburg diffusional impedance analysis.