Opinions Requested

["Cristian Ortiz A." <cortiza@puc.cl>]

"Cristian Ortiz A." <cortiza@puc.cl> writes:

Sowacs:

We are a researching group, part of the Hydraulic & Environmental
Department of the Pontificia Universidad Cat—lica de Chile.  We are
working in modelling flow and transport in porous media and in this
moment we need to estimate the retention curve of the soil and the
saturated and unsaturated hydraulic conductivities.
So, for this reason we are evaluated to adquire an equipment that obtain
the main variables and parameters on the media.
Our first priority to measure the humidity of the media is a Time Domain
Reflectometry (TDR) equipment, and a tempe pressure cell.
The material of our interest is a tailing material with particle
diameter between 0,03mm and 0,6 mm, and an agglomerated tailing material
with particle diameter between 0,07mm and 20 mm.
Now, we already have some equipments to this respect, they are:

A Plexiglass (0.25ä) flow cell 75 mm inner diameter and 508 mm long.
End sections are removable and accommodate porous plastic and/or nylon
membranes.
A regulator-controlled vacuum chamber, with a vacuum pump.
Tensimeter with a transducer attached needle probe.
Tensiometers (pencil tubes with elbow)

A poliethylene column 56 cm inner diameter and 300 cm long, with
atmosphere pressure up and down.

Could you please give us, in your expertise opinion, the best solution
for our problem?
(We mean, the best size for the sensors and/or the best equipmet and the
optional and basic equiment to measure the properties of the column).
Thanks.