3D Characterization and Time-Lapse Imaging of the Desiccation Treatability Test at the Hanford BC-Cribs and Trenches Site using High Performance Electrical Resistivity Imaging
Contaminated vadose zone materials are a potential source of long-term groundwater contamination at many sites across the Department of Energy (DOE) complex. Deep vadose zone contamination presents a particularly challenging remedial problem due to the difficultly of locating contaminants and the expense of access and ex situ treatment. In situ remediation techniques, whereby remedial amendments must be delivered to contaminated soils, have been identified as a potential alternative. However, amendment delivery is typically uncertain and post delivery remedial performance is often not well understood due to limited information available from sparsely spaced boreholes. Recent advancements in electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) are being used to address these challenges at the Hanford site by providing remote, three-dimensional images of contaminant distribution and four-dimensional (three spatial dimensions plus the time dimension) images of in-situ vadose zone remediation processes. These capabilities were recently demonstrated with a large scale surface characterization effort and during a smaller scale desiccation treatability test at the Hanford BC-Cribs area. The results of these efforts demonstrate the utility of leveraging high-performance computing resources to process ERT data for 3D reconnaissance mapping of subsurface contaminants and for detailed 3D monitoring of vadose zone remediation efforts.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 1452885
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-84065; 830403000
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Annual Waste Management Symposium (WM2012): Improving the Future in Waste Management, February 26 - March 1, 2012, Pheonix AZ, 2181-2189
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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