Laboratory Study of Air Sparging: Air Flow Visualization |
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| Authors: | Wei Ji Amine Dahmani David P. Ahlfeld Jia Ding Lin Edward Hill III |
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| Affiliation: | Wei Ji is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Connecticut (Box U-37, Dept. of Civil Engineering, The University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269). He has a B.S. in fluid mechanics and an M.S. in computational mathematics from Peking University, China. His research interests include fundamental studies of conceptual models, modeling of multiphase fluid flow, and ground water contaminant transport.;Amine Dahmani will serve as project manager in the Environmental Research Institute at the University of Connecticut (Box U-210, Environmental Research Institute, The University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269). He holds a Ph.D. in petroleum engineering from Louisiana State University. His primary research activities are in soil contamination characterization, leaching potential of pollutants, and innovative ground water remediation technologies.;David P. Ahlfeld is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Connecticut (Box U-37, Dept. of Civil Engineering, The University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269). He holds a Ph.D. in civil engineering from Princeton University. His research interests include ground water modeling and remediation.;Jia Ding Lin is a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Connecticut (Box U-37, Dept. of Civil Engineering, The University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269). He holds a Sc. D. in hydrodynamics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research interests include coastal hydrodynamics, hydrology, and water resources.;Edward H. Hill III is a master's student in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Connecticut (Box U-37, Dept. of Civil Engineering, The University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269). His research interests include ground water modeling, remediation, and optimization. |
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| Abstract: | Laboratory flow visualization experiments, using glass beads as the porous medium, were conducted to study air sparging, an innovative technology for subsurface contaminant remediation. The purpose of these experiments was to observe how air flows through saturated porous media and to obtain a basic understanding of air plume formation and medium heterogeneity effects. The experiments indicate that air flow occurring in discrete, stable channels is the most probable flow behavior in medium to fine grained water saturated porous media and that medium heterogeneity plays an important role in the development of air channels. Several simulated scales of heterogeneities, from pore to field, have been studied. The results suggest that air channel formation is sensitive to the various scales of heterogeneities. Site-specific hydrogeologic settings have to be carefully reviewed before air sparging is applied to remediate sites contaminated by volatile organic compounds. |
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