Analysis of a gas-phase partitioning tracer test conducted in an unsaturated fractured-clay formation

The gas-phase partitioning tracer method was used to estimate non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL), water, and air saturations in the vadose zone at a chlorinated-solvent contaminated field site in Tucson, AZ. The tracer test was conducted in a fractured-clay system that is the confining layer for the underlying regional aquifer. Three suites of three tracers were injected into wells located 14, 24, and 24 m from a single, central extraction well. The tracers comprised noble gases (traditionally thought to be nonsorbing), alkanes (primarily water partitioning), perfluorides (primarily NAPL partitioning), and halons (both NAPL and water partitioning). Observations of vacuum response were consistent with flow in a fractured system. The halon tracers exhibited the greatest amount of retardation, and helium and the perfluoride tracers the least. The alkane tracers were unexpectedly more retarded than the perfluoride tracers, indicating low NAPL saturations and high water saturations. An NAPL saturation of 0.01, water saturation of 0.215, and gas saturation of 0.775 was estimated based on analysis of the suite of tracers comprising helium, perfluoromethylcyclohexane and dibromodifluoromethane, which was considered to be the most robust set. The estimated saturations compare reasonably well to independently determined values.     

Hot water flushing for immiscible displacement of a viscous NAPL

Thermal remediation techniques, such as hot water flooding, are emerging technologies that have been proposed for the removal of nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) from the subsurface. In this study a combined laboratory and modeling investigation was conducted to determine if hot water flooding techniques would improve NAPL mass removal compared to ambient temperature water flushing. Two experiments were conducted in a bench scale two-dimensional sandbox (55 cmx45 cmx1.3 cm) and NAPL saturations were quantified using a light transmission apparatus. In these immiscible displacement experiments the aqueous phase, at 22 degrees C and 50 degrees C, displaced a zone with initial NAPL saturations on the order of 85%. The interfacial tension and viscosity of the selected light NAPL, Voltesso 35, are strongly temperature-dependent. Experimental results suggest that hot water flooding reduced the size of the high NAPL saturation zone, in comparison to the cold water flood, and yielded greater NAPL mass recovery (75% NAPL removal vs. 64%). Hot water flooding did not, however, result in lower residual NAPL saturations. A numerical simulator was modified to include simultaneous flow of water and organic phases, energy transport, temperature and pressure. Model predictions of mass removal and NAPL saturation profiles compared well with observed behavior. A sensitivity analysis indicates that the utility of hot water flooding improves with the increasing temperature dependence of NAPL hydraulic properties.     

SEAR技术修复土壤和地下水中NAPL污染的研究进展

就SEAR技术修复土壤及地下水中NAPL污染的原理及发展现状进行了综述.SEAR技术可以快速有效地去除土壤和地下水中的NAPL污染源,适于多种污染物.该技术通过增溶和增流2种途径提高NAPL污染物的去除率.表面活性剂的选择和微乳液体系的调配是SEAR技术实施的关键环节.将SEAR技术用于高浓度NAPL污染源的治理,并与生物修复和自然降解相结合,是经济高效的治理方案.     

Partitioning of aromatic and oxygenated constituents into water from regular and ethanol-blended gasolines

Variability in gasoline-water partitioning of major aromatic constituents (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX)) and methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) were examined for regular and ethanol-blended gasolines. By use of a two-phase liquid-liquid equilibrium model, the distribution of nonpolar solutes between fuel phase and water was related to principles of equilibrium. The models derived using Raoult's law convention for activity coefficients and liquid solubility is presented. The observed inverse log-log linear dependence of K_fw values on aqueous solubility, could be well predicted by assuming gasoline to be an ideal solvent mixture. Oxygenated additives (i.e., ethanol and MTBE), in the low percent range (below 5%), were shown to have minimal or negligible cosolvent effects on hydrocarbon partitioning. In the case of high fuel-to-water ratio (e.g., 1:1) or near contaminant source zone, the cosolvent effect of oxygenated gasoline with high content of ethanol (e.g., E85) will be environmentally significant.     

Estimation of primary drainage three-phase relative permeability for organic liquid transport in the vadose zone

The modeling of transport of organic liquid contaminants through the vadose zone often requires three-phase relative permeabilities. Since these are difficult to measure, predictive models are usually used. The objective of this study is to assess the ability of eight common models to predict the drainage relative permeability to oil in a three-phase system (water-oil-air). A comparison of the models' estimates using data set from Oak [Oak, M.J., 1990. Three-phase relative permeability of water-wet Berea. In: Seventh Symposium on Enhanced Oil Recovery, Paper SPE/Doe 20183. Tulsa, OK, April 22-25] showed that they provide very different predictions for the same system. The goodness of the models does not increase with the amount of data or computation that the models require. Also, the calculations showed how different interpretations of the models and of the terminology associated with them can significantly impact the predictions. Thus, considerable error may be introduced into the simulations of organic liquid transport in the vadose zone depending on the selection and interpretation of the three-phase relative permeability model.     

Pickering乳化强化地下水三氯乙烯NAPL修复

合成了4种不同长径比的SiO₂颗粒调控水/NAPL界面,考察所形成的Pickering乳化效果和稳定性,结果表明：长径比（L/D）为2.3的SiO₂颗粒分散的Pickering乳液液滴尺寸均匀,直径约10 μm,且10d内保持稳定,乳化指数高达63%.流变测试进一步证实所形成的Pickering乳化具有低剪切应变下乳液稳定的特性,利于地下水的原位修复技术的实施.同时考察胶体颗粒浓度,水中离子强度以及水/NAPL比例对Pickering乳化效果和稳定性的影响,为Pickering乳化技术在实际地下水修复应用提供理论基础.通过对比Pickering乳化和未乳化条件下NAPL溶解和氧化降解动力学过程,发现Pickering乳化通过增大两相间界面积显著提高NAPL的溶解速率,进而实现NAPL相污染物降解速率的提高.     

NAPL泄漏事故场地地下水污染风险快速评估与决策

根据环境事故应急管理的需求,结合事故污染场地的特点,研究提出了非水相液体(NAPL)泄漏事故场地地下水污染风险的快速评估方法.该方法由3个连续的阶段组成:第1阶段为事故与场地调查,采用场地调查的方法获取事故与污染物信息及场地水文地质参数;第2阶段为计算和评价,以NAPL泄露污染场地为例,采用简单的数学模型判断事故对地下水影响的紧迫程度,以及对下游敏感点的影响;第3阶段为分析与决策,综合分析前两阶段的结果,制定场地应急控制措施.通过案例应用展示了该方法在事故污染场地地下水应急管理中的应用.     

CHALLENGES IN GROUND WATER REMEDIATION: DENSE NONAQUEOUS PHASE LIQUIDS1

ABSTRACT: Dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) contaminated ground water has proven to be exceptionally difficult to remediate for both physical and chemical reasons. Since DNAPL's are denser than water, their movement is not governed by the direction of ground water flow as is generally the case for other ground water contaminants. Additionally, DNAPLs' interactions with aquifer solids through processes such as sorption tend to make the pollution linger or sometimes apparently disappear, only to return later. Unfortunately, pump-and-treat systems, the traditional way ground water contamination is addressed, have not been effective in cleaning DNAPL contaminated water. Other remediation technologies continue to be developed to address these problems. Policy changes will also be necessary to effectively address the difficulties associated with ground water remediation.     

Entrapment and dissolution of DNAPLs in heterogeneous porous media

Two-dimensional multiphase flow and transport simulators were refined and used to numerically investigate the entrapment and dissolution behavior of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in heterogeneous porous media containing spatial variations in wettability. Measured hydraulic properties, residual saturations, and dissolution parameters were employed in these simulations. Entrapment was quantified using experimentally verified hydraulic property and residual saturation models that account for hysteresis and wettability variations. The nonequilibrium dissolution of PCE was modeled using independent estimates of the film mass transfer coefficient and interfacial area for entrapped and continuous (PCE pools or films) saturations. Flow simulations demonstrate that the spatial distribution of PCE is highly dependent on subsurface wettability characteristics that create differences in PCE retention mechanisms and the presence of subsurface capillary barriers. For a given soil texture, the maximum and minimum PCE infiltration depth was obtained when the sand had intermediate (an organic-wet mass fraction of 25%) and strong (water- or organic-wet) wettability conditions, respectively. In heterogeneous systems, subsurface wettability variations were also found to enhance or diminish the performance of soil texture-induced capillary barriers. The dissolution behavior of PCE was found to depend on the soil wettability and the spatial PCE distribution. Shorter dissolution times tended to occur when PCE was distributed over large regions due to an increased access of flowing water to the PCE. In heterogeneous systems, capillary barriers that produced high PCE saturations tended to exhibit longer dissolution times.     

SEAR技术修复土壤和地下水中NAPL污染的研究进展

就SEAR技术修复土壤及地下水中NAPL污染的原理及发展现状进行了综述.SEAR技术可以快速有效地去除土壤和地下水中的NAPL污染源,适于多种污染物.该技术通过增溶和增流2种途径提高NAPL污染物的去除率.表面活性剂的选择和微乳液体系的调配是SEAR技术实施的关键环节.将SEAR技术用于高浓度NAPL污染源的治理,并与生物修复和自然降解相结合,是经济高效的治理方案.