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Petroleum Vapor Intrusion Modeling Assessment with PVIScreen
Citation:
Weaver, Jim, R. Davis, AND T. Walker. Petroleum Vapor Intrusion Modeling Assessment with PVIScreen. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-16/175, 2016.
Impact/Purpose:
Vapor intrusion of petroleum compounds differs from that of chlorinated solvents because of the dominant effect of aerobic biodegradation on the concentration and distribution of petroleum vapors. To better understand the behavior of petroleum compounds, a model called PVIScreen was developed that applies the theory developed for the BioVapor model (DeVaull, 2007) to a lens of petroleum hydrocarbons in the subsurface that is capable of acting as a source of petroleum vapors. The PVIScreen model automatically conducts an uncertainty analysis using Monte Carlo simulations. The model is intended to make uncertainty analysis practical for application at petroleum vapor intrusion sites. The model can be run in either a batch mode, using MicroSoft Excel files for both input and model outputs, and an interactive mode using a graphical user interface. Each of these is described, along with required inputs, example problems and the theoretical background of the model. Model simulations are in agreement with an EPA-sponsored analysis of field data that illustrate and document the attenuation of concentrations of petroleum compounds in soil gas with distance above the source of the vapors.
Description:
Vapor intrusion of petroleum compounds differs from that of chlorinated solvents because of the dominant effect of aerobic biodegradation on the concentration and distribution of petroleum vapors. To better understand the behavior of petroleum compounds, a model called PVIScreen was developed that applies the theory developed for the BioVapor model (DeVaull, 2007) to a lens of petroleum hydrocarbons in the subsurface that is capable of acting as a source of petroleum vapors. The PVIScreen model automatically conducts an uncertainty analysis using Monte Carlo simulations. The model is intended to make uncertainty analysis practical for application at petroleum vapor intrusion sites. The model can be run in either a batch mode, using MicroSoft Excel files for both input and model outputs, and an interactive mode using a graphical user interface. Each of these is described, along with required inputs, example problems and the theoretical background of the model. Model simulations are in agreement with an EPA-sponsored analysis of field data that illustrate and document the attenuation of concentrations of petroleum compounds in soil gas with distance above the source of the vapors.