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OPTIMIZATION OF IN-SITU THERMAL REMEDIATION: THE LORING AFB STEAM INJECTION PROJECT EXAMPLE
Citation:
Davis*, E L. OPTIMIZATION OF IN-SITU THERMAL REMEDIATION: THE LORING AFB STEAM INJECTION PROJECT EXAMPLE. Presented at Accelerating Site Closeout, Improving Performance, and Reducing Costs through Optimization, DALLAS, TX, June 15 - 17, 2004.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
Environmental remediation programs require that adequate planning be done before field work for characterization or remediation is undertaken. However, the heterogeneous nature of the subsurface can often thwart our best planning efforts. More recently, dynamic work plans which allow flexibility in the field to optimize the characterization activities have been developed. Even with this approach, however, much of the subsurface will remain unknown as we proceed to the remediation stage. This situation requires that we also build flexibility into our remediation plans, to allow for changes to the system as we discover more about the properties of the subsurface, the distribution of contaminants, and the processes of the remediation system. This presentation will highlight how a dynamic work plan was used to optimize research into the remediation of fractured rock by steam injection. The highly heterogeneous nature of fractured rock systems and the high costs and difficulties associated with characterization in fractured rock demands a dynamic, integrated approach to characterization and remediation to help reduce costs without sacrificing remediation efficiency. Recently a research project on steam injection into fractured bedrock was completed at Loring Air Force Base, Limestone, ME. Characterization was integrated with system installation, and optimization was done throughout the steam injection period in response to what we learned about steam flow and contaminant extractions. Included in this presentation will be performance monitoring that was used during the steam injection, and how this data was used to adjust the operation of the system to enhance contaminant recovery.