Verification of subsurface barrier integrity using perfluorocarbon gas tracers
Use of perfluorocarbon (PFT) gaseous tracers shows promise as an excellent means of demonstrating subsurface barrier integrity. The PFT technology has been applied at Brookhaven National Laboratory to evaluate the colloidal silica (CS) barrier installed during the summer of 1997. This program involved two separate experimental phases. In the first phase, PFTs were injected into the native soil for a period of one day in the region adjacent to the proposed location of the CS barrier. The information was used to confirm that diffusion is the rate controlling transport mechanism and measure in-situ diffusion coefficients for the tracers in the native soil. This information is useful in interpreting data from the second phase of this study. In addition, the monitoring data was used to estimate the leak (injection) location. In the second phase, PFTs were injected into the region contained by the CS barrier and data have been collected to evaluate the performance of the barrier. In the experiment three unique PFTs were injected with the aim of increasing the resolution of leak detection. Two regions which provided essentially no added resistance to flow as compared to the native soil were detected in the bulk of the CS barrier.
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-98CH10886
- OSTI ID:
- 757150
- Report Number(s):
- BNL-67415; EW4090200; R&D Project: 13017; EW4090200; TRN: US0003372
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: WASTE MANAGEMENT 1998, Tucson, AZ (US), 03/01/1998; Other Information: PBD: 1 Mar 1998
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Subsurface barrier integrity verification using perfluorocarbon tracers
USE OF PERFLUOROCARBON TRACER (PFT) TECHNOLOGY FOR SUBSURFACE BARRIER INTEGRITY VERIFICATION AT THE WALDO TEST SITE.