The Radial Basis Functions Method for Improved Numerical Approximations of Geological Processes in Heterogeneous Systems

Mathematical Geosciences - A robust, high order modeling approach is introduced, based on the finite difference-based radial basis functions method, for solving the groundwater flow equation in the...     

Soil-water dynamics and tree water uptake in the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico (USA): a stable isotope study

In the southwestern United States, precipitation in the high mountains is a primary source of groundwater recharge. Precipitation patterns, soil properties and vegetation largely control the rate and timing of groundwater recharge. The interactions between climate, soil and mountain vegetation thus have important implications for the groundwater supply. This study took place in the Sacramento Mountains, which is the recharge area for multiple regional aquifers in southern New Mexico. The stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen were used to determine whether infiltration of precipitation is homogeneously distributed in the soil or whether it is partitioned among soil-water ‘compartments’, from which trees extract water for transpiration as a function of the season. The results indicate that “immobile” or “slow” soil water, which is derived primarily from snowmelt, infiltrates soils in a relatively uniform fashion, filling small pores in the shallow soils. “Mobile” or “fast” soil water, which is mostly associated with summer thunderstorms, infiltrates very quickly through macropores and along preferential flow paths, evading evaporative loss. It was found that throughout the entire year, trees principally use immobile water derived from snowmelt mixed to differing degrees with seasonally available mobile-water sources. The replenishment of these different water pools in soils appears to depend on initial soil-water content, the manner in which the water was introduced to the soil (snowmelt versus intense thunderstorms), and the seasonal variability of the precipitation and evapotranspiration. These results have important implications for the effect of climate change on recharge mechanisms in the Sacramento Mountains.     

Remediation of NAPL source zones: lessons learned from field studies at Hill and Dover AFB

Innovative remediation studies were conducted between 1994 and 2004 at sites contaminated by nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) at Hill and Dover AFB, and included technologies that mobilize, solubilize, and volatilize NAPL: air sparging (AS), surfactant flushing, cosolvent flooding, and flushing with a complexing-sugar solution. The experiments proved that aggressive remedial efforts tailored to the contaminant can remove more than 90% of the NAPL-phase contaminant mass. Site-characterization methods were tested as part of these field efforts, including partitioning tracer tests, biotracer tests, and mass-flux measurements. A significant reduction in the groundwater contaminant mass flux was achieved despite incomplete removal of the source. The effectiveness of soil, groundwater, and tracer based characterization methods may be site and technology specific. Employing multiple methods can improve characterization. The studies elucidated the importance of small-scale heterogeneities on remediation effectiveness, and fomented research on enhanced-delivery methods. Most contaminant removal occurs in hydraulically accessible zones, and complete removal is limited by contaminant mass stored in inaccessible zones. These studies illustrated the importance of understanding the fluid dynamics and interfacial behavior of injected fluids on remediation design and implementation. The importance of understanding the dynamics of NAPL-mixture dissolution and removal was highlighted. The results from these studies helped researchers better understand what processes and scales are most important to include in mathematical models used for design and data analysis. Finally, the work at these sites emphasized the importance and feasibility of recycling and reusing chemical agents, and enabled the implementation and success of follow-on full-scale efforts.     

Pulsed Air Sparging in Aquifers Contaminated with Dense Nonaqueous Phase Liquids

Air sparging was evaluated for remediation of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) present as dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) in aquifers. A two-dimensional laboratory tank with a transparent front wall allowed for visual observation of DNAPL mobilization. A DNAPL zone 50 cm high was created, with a PCE pool accumulating on an aquitard. Detailed process control and analysis yielded accurate mass balances and insight into the mass-transfer limitations during air sparging. Initial PCE recovery rates were high, corresponding to fast removal of residual DNAPL within the zone influenced directly by air channels. The vadose zone DNAPL was removed within a few days, and the recovery in the extracted soil vapors decreased to low values. Increasing the sparge rate and pulsing the air injection led to improved mass recovery, as the pulsing induced water circulation and increased the DNAPL dissolution rate. Dissolved PCE concentrations both within and outside the zone of air channels were affected by the pulsing. Inside the sparge zone, aqueous concentrations decreased rapidly, matching the declining effluent PCE flux. Outside the sparge zone, PCE concentrations increased because highly contaminated water was pushed away from the air injection point. This overall circulation of water may lead to limited spreading of the contaminant, but accelerated the time-weighted average mass removal by 40% to 600%, depending on the aggressiveness of the pulsing. For field applications, pulsing with a daily or diurnal cycling time may increase the average mass removal rate, thus reducing the treatment time and saving in the order of 40% to 80% of the energy cost used to run the blowers. However, air sparging will always fail to remove DNAPL pools located below the sparge point because the air will rise upward from the top of a screen, unless very localized geological layers force the air to migrate horizontally. Unrecognized presence of DNAPL at chlorinated solvent sites residual and pools could potentially hamper success of air sparging cleanups, since the presence of small DNAPL pools, ganglia or droplets can greatly extend the treatment time.     

Three-Dimensional Experimental Testing of a Two-Phase Flow-Modeling Approach for Air Sparging

Air sparging has been used for several years as an in situ technique for removing volatile compounds from contaminated ground water, but few studies have been completed to quantify the extent of remediation. To gain knowledge of the air flow and water behavior around air injection wells, laboratory tests and model simulations were completed at three injection flow rates (62, 187, and 283 lpm) in a cylindrical reactor (diameter - 1.2 m, depth = 0.65 m). Measurements of the air flux distribution were made across the surface of the reactor at 24 monitoring locations, six radial positions equally spaced along two orthogonal transects. Simulations using a multiphase flow model called T2VOC were completed for a homogeneous, axisymmetric configuration. Input parameters were independently measured soil properties. In all the experiments, about 75 percent of the flow injected exited the water table within 30 cm of the sparge well. Predictions with T2VOC showed the same. The averages of four flux measurements at a particular distance from the sparge well compare satisfactorily with T2VOC predictions. Measured flux values at a given radius varied by more than a factor of two, but the averages were consistent between experiments and agreed well with T2VOC simulations. The T2VOC prediction of the radial extent of sparging coincided with the distance out to which air flow from the sparge well could not be detected in the reactor. The sparging pattern was relatively unaffected by the air injection rate over the range of conditions studied. Changes in the injection rate resulted in nearly proportional changes in flux rates.