Water quality at the LETC TS-1S tar-sand steamflood site. Final report
Water quality was monitored during the LETC TS-1S steamflood experiment conducted in the Northwest Asphalt Ridge tar sand deposit near Vernal, Utah. Ground-water samples were collected by personnel from the Department of Energy's Laramie Energy Technology Center (LETC) and from Western Wyoming College. Samples were analyzed for 41 water quality constituents by Western Wyoming College. TDS and major inorganic ion concentrations peaked early in the experiment and then rapidly declined a couple of weeks later to concentrations approaching those in the injected steam. Saturation of the tar sand deposit by injected steam appeared to bring dissolvable solids into contact with water, to cause dissolution of the solids producing saline water, and to permit the movement of this saline water to the monitoring wells. COD and TOC typically peaked three times during the experiment. The first peak coincided with the inorganic peak; the second peak occurred with the commencement of oil production; and the third peak happened at the end of the experiment. Many of the Utah surface water quality standards and Wyoming ground-water standards were exceeded in samples taken during the tar sand experiment. However, degraded water quality in the tar sand deposit may have little environmental significance since the deposit is not an aquifer and is apparently isolated from underlying aquifers by shale aquitards. (DMC)
- Research Organization:
- Wyoming Univ., Laramie (USA). Water Resources Research Inst.
- DOE Contract Number:
- AS20-81LC10664
- OSTI ID:
- 6727313
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/LC/10664-T1; ON: DE83002766
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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041000* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Environmental Aspects
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Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AMMONIA
AROMATICS
ARSENIC
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
BORON
CADMIUM
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND
CHROMIUM
CYANIDES
DATA
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FEDERAL REGION VIII
FIELD TESTS
FLUID INJECTION
FLUORIDES
FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GROUND WATER
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN SULFIDES
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
IRON
LEAD
MATERIALS
METALS
NITRATES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN HYDRIDES
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
OIL SANDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PH VALUE
PHENOL
PHENOLS
POLLUTION
RECOVERY
SAMPLING
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
SELENIUM
SEMIMETALS
STEAM INJECTION
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
TESTING
THERMAL RECOVERY
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
USA
UTAH
VARIATIONS
WATER
WATER POLLUTION
WATER QUALITY
WELLS
ZINC