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Determination of Water Saturation in Relatively Dry and Desiccated Porous Media using Gas-phase Partitioning Tracer Tests


EMSL Project ID
42793

Abstract

Soil desiccation (drying), involving water evaporation induced by dry air injection and extraction, is a potentially robust remediation process to slow migration of inorganic or radionuclide contaminants through the vadose zone. Several desiccation field tests are planned for the Hanford Site. The application of gas-phase partitioning tracer tests has been suggested as an effective means to estimate initial water volumes and to monitor the progress of the desiccation process. To test the potential of gas-phase tracers to detect water and quantify water content, we propose to conduct tracer tests in porous medium columns with various water saturations using sulfur hexafluoride as the conservative tracer and tricholorofluoromethane and difluoromethane as the water-partitioning tracers. A successful application of this method in the laboratory is necessary before it may be used in the field. The EMSL Subsurface Flow and Transport Laboratory (SFTL) has the columns, gas tracers, mass flow controllers, desiccation equipment, and analytical tools to effectively test the method for the range in water contents expected in the field. This laboratory research is funded by CH-PRC, under a subcontract with the DOE.

Project Details

Project type
Exploratory Research
Start Date
2010-12-06
End Date
2011-12-11
Status
Closed

Team

Principal Investigator

Michael Truex
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Team Members

Thomas Wietsma
Institution
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory

Mart Oostrom
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory