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LABORATORY SCALE STEAM INJECTION TREATABILITY STUDIES
Citation:
DAVIS, E. L. AND C. J. ADAIR. LABORATORY SCALE STEAM INJECTION TREATABILITY STUDIES. Presented at First Internation Converence on Challenges in Site Remediation, Chicago, IL, October 23 - 27, 2005.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
Laboratory scale steam injection treatability studies were first developed at The University of California-Berkeley. A comparable testing facility has been developed at USEPA's Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Center. Experience has already shown that many volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are readily recoverable by thermal methods, and thus a treatability study for many VOCs would not necessarily be required before remediation. However, treatability studies may still be very useful when evaluating the use of steam injection for the remediation of many different mixtures of contaminants, such as spent solvents or creosote. The treatability studies that have been performed to date generally include measurement of the physical properties of the nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) as a function of temperature and one dimensional steam injection experiments. Determining the physical properties of the liquid as a function of temperature (density, viscosity, and interfacial tension) allows evaluation of how the liquid will behave as the subsurface is heated. This data can help to determine if there is a potential for a DNAPL to move downward during thermal remediation.