In situ permeable flow sensors at the Savannah River Integrated Demonstration: Phase 1 results
The In Situ Permeable Flow Sensor, a new technology which uses a thermal perturbation technique to directly measure the 3-dimensional groundwater flow velocity vector at a point in permeable, unconsolidated geologic formations, has been used to monitor changes in the groundwater flow regime around an experimental air stripping waste remediation activity. While design flaws in the first version of the technology, which were used during the experiment being reported here, precluded measurements of the horizontal component of the flow velocity, measurements of the vertical component of the flow velocity were obtained. Results indicate that significant changes in the vertical flow velocity were induced by the air injection system. One flow sensor, MHM6, measured a vertical flow velocity of 4 m/yr or less when the air injection system was not operating and 25 m/yr when the air injection system was on. This may be caused by air bubbles moving past the probes or may be the result of the establishment of a more widespread flow regime in the groundwater induced by the air injection system. In the latter case, significantly more groundwater would be remediated by the air stripping operation since groundwater would be circulated through the zone of influence of the air injection system. Newly designed flow sensors, already in the ground at Savannah River to monitor Phase II of the project, are capable of measuring horizontal as well as vertical components of flow velocity.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 10188190
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-92-1952; ON: DE93003226
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Oct 1992
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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