Remediation of DNAPLs in Low Permeability Soils. Innovative Technology Summary Report

S&T Accomplishment Report · Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2000

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/779089· OSTI ID:779089

Dense, non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) compounds like trichloroethene (TCE) and perchloroethene (PCE) are prevalent at U. S. Department of Energy (DOE), other government, and industrial sites. Their widespread presence in low permeability media (LPM) poses severe challenges for assessment of their behavior and implementation of effective remediation technologies. Most remedial methods that involve fluid flow perform poorly in LPM. Hydraulic fracturing can improve the performance of remediation methods such as vapor extraction, free-product recovery, soil flushing, steam stripping, bioremediation, bioventing, and air sparging in LPM by enhancing formation permeability through the creation of fractures filled with high-permeability materials, such as sand. Hydraulic fracturing can improve the performance of other remediation methods such as oxidation, reductive dechlorination, and bioaugmentation by enhancing delivery of reactive agents to the subsurface. Hydraulic fractures are typically created using a 2-in. steel casing and a drive point pushed into the subsurface by a pneumatic hammer. Hydraulic fracturing has been widely used for more than 50 years to stimulate the yield of wells recovering oil from rock at great depth and has recently been shown to stimulate the yield of wells recovering contaminated liquids and vapors from LPM at shallow depths. Hydraulic fracturing is an enabling technology for improving the performance of some remedial methods and is a key element in the implementation of other methods. This document contains information on the above-mentioned technology, including description, applicability, cost, and performance data.

• Research Organization: Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Piketon, OH (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science and Technology (OST) (EM-50) (US)
• OSTI ID: 779089
• Report Number(s): DOE/EM-0550; OST/TMS ID 163; OST/TMS ID 163
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR SPARGING
BIOAUGMENTATION
BIOREMEDIATION
BIOVENTING
DECHLORINATION
DENSE NON-AQUEOUS PHASE LIQUID
DNAPL
FLUID FLOW
FRACTURES
HYDRAULIC FRACTURES
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
IMPLEMENTATION
LOW PERMEABILITY MEDIA
LPM
OXIDATION
PERCHLOROETHENE
PERMEABILITY
PNEUMATICS
RECOVERING OIL
REMEDIATION
SOIL FLUSHING
SOILS
STEAM STRIPPING
STEELS
TRICHLOROETHENE
VAPOR EXTRACTION