Mathematical Modeling of Differentiation Processes in Porous Media During Soil Vapor Extraction (SVE) Remediation of Contaminated Soil/Water

Lü, Ying; Fan, Wei; Yang, Y. S.; Du, X. Q.; Zhang, G. X.

Mathematical Modeling of Differentiation Processes in Porous Media During Soil Vapor Extraction (SVE) Remediation of Contaminated Soil/Water

2013

Lü, Ying | Fan, Wei | Yang, Y. S. | Du, X. Q. | Zhang, G. X.

Soil vapor extraction (SVE) is one of the most effective remediation technologies for soil and groundwater contamination. Soil particles can be mobilized by air perturbation during SVE, resulting in the differentiation of porous media, which has not been well addressed. This paper developed a numerical method to study the flow pattern and quantify the change of porous media for the first time. Based on the mass equilibrium and Darcy’s law, a two-phase water–air flow model was constructed with integration of saturation, relative permeability, and capillary pressure during SVE. Relationship between porosity and saturation was deduced and coupled with the two-phase flow model for quantifying change of porous media in real time. Results reveal that both porosity and permeability increase sharply in the early stage of SVE then gradually to a quasi-steady state. These increases in vadose zone tapered off with distance from the SVE screen and the steady period occurred later as well. The influence radius of a single SVE well and the change degree in porosity and permeability of media were proportional to the extraction vacuum and the driving coefficient C, which is more sensitive than extraction vacuum according to the simulation results. Knowledge from this modeling exercise provides a useful tool to estimate the change of remediated zone and assess the environmental risk of remedial activities at real-world contamination sites.

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