Hydrocarbon spills, their retention in the subsurface and propagation into shallow aquifers

Technical Report · Fri Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:5822314

Pfannkuch, H O

The two most important phases in the propagation of a hydrocarbon spill into the subsurface occur in the vadose or unsaturated zone, between the land surface and the water table, and in the groundwater flow zone at its contact with the free oil phase. The last determines the dissolution and spreading of contaminants through the most mobile flow zone. The first determines the spill geometry, the amount of free phase oil that reaches the groundwater body and the total retention of spilled oil. Oil retention studies carried out for this project show whether the volume of soil within a spill site is sufficient to retain the oil without it escaping into the groundwater, and also gives a rough approximation of how long it takes for the oil phase to reach pendular saturation.

• Research Organization: Minnesota Univ., St. Paul (USA). Water Resources Research Center
• OSTI ID: 5822314
• Report Number(s): PB-83-196477
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020900 -- Petroleum-- Environmental Aspects
520200* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AQUIFERS
CONFIGURATION
CONTAMINATION
DIFFUSION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
GROUND WATER
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
OIL SPILLS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLE SIZE
POROUS MATERIALS
SATURATION
SIZE
SOILS
WATER