Nonaqueous phase liquid transport and cleanup: 1. Analysis of mechanisms

TLDR

Groundwater contamination by nonaqueous liquids such as organic solvents and petroleum hydrocarbons commonly arises from spills, tank leaks, and improper disposal, and laboratory experiments supporting analytical findings are presented in the companion paper. The study investigates the physics governing emplacement and movement of a separate phase in porous media, the role of sorption, and conditions required to mobilize it, proposing steam displacement as an alternative mobilization strategy. The authors show that capillary forces control the separate phase’s movement, preventing ganglia displacement by groundwater under realistic gradients, and evaluate steam front propagation as a means to mobilize the trapped phase. Mass transfer limitations in liquid phase dissolution render groundwater extraction ineffective at removing nonaqueous contaminants within a reasonable timeframe.

Abstract

Groundwater contamination by nonaqueous liquids such as organic solvents and petroleum hydrocarbons frequently occurs as a result of surface spills, tank leaks, and improper disposal practices. This first of two papers examines the physics governing the emplacement and movement of a separate phase in porous media, the role of sorption, and the conditions necessary to mobilize a separate phase. The movement of the separate phase is controlled by capillary forces, and ganglia displacement by groundwater is not possible under reasonable hydraulic gradients. In addition, because of mass transfer limitations in liquid phase dissolution, groundwater extraction at contaminated sites is shown to be ineffective in removing the nonaqueous contaminant within a reasonable time frame. Therefore other means of mobilizing the trapped second phase are needed, steam displacement is proposed and steam front propagation through contaminated porous media is evaluated. The results of laboratory experiments supporting some of these analytical results are presented in the second paper (Hunt et al., this issue).