Cost-effectiveness analysis of the seamistTM borehole liner system

SEAMIST^TM is an innovative technology that facilitates measurements of contaminants in both vertical and horizontal boreholes. The essence of SEAMIST^TM is an airtight membrane liner pneumatically emplaced inside the borehole and maintained with positive pressure. Sampling ports, absorbent collectors, and various in-situ measuring devices can be fabricated into the liner. Small instruments and cameras can be guided through the borehole to obtain real-time data. This article reports on the cost and performance effectiveness of this new technology. In this report, SEAMIST^TM is evaluated as a tool for obtaining data on volatile organic compounds, semivolatile organic compounds, other water-borne contaminants, and radionuclides. SEAMIST^TM is also compared to traditional borehole casing, to conventional soil vapor probes, and to conventional pore-fluid collecting lysimeters. The most cost- and performance-effective applications of SEAMIST^TM are shown to be those applications for which multiple characterization requirements can be combined into one SEAMIST^TM membrane system.