Determinability of NAPL mass by measuring concentrations downstream of a contaminant source

Organic contaminants in aquifers are often present as non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPL), which are long-lasting sources for groundwater contamination. The existing NAPL mass is an important parameter for the persistence of the source, but its determination is difficult. One possible detection method is based on the ideal multicomponent dissolution theory, using aqueous concentrations downstream of a fully mixed NAPL source to calculate its mass. In this publication, the applicability of this method is tested for a source size of about 5 m, using numerical methods. In contrast to fully mixed source zones, on this scale the NAPL sources are not in contact with each other, do not mix and develop independently over time. Highly soluble NAPL components can be depleted or the NAPL phase can be completely exhausted locally, while in other portions of the source zone NAPL is still present with all its components. Hence, the interpretation of the resulting aqueous concentrations downstream using the ideal dissolution theory leads to erroneous NAPL masses of several orders of magnitude in the investigated scenarios.